


Even More Solangelo

by wordsofink



Series: solangelo one-shots [4]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, April fool's day prank, Arabian Nights AU, Complete, Cute, Cute boys, Dancer!Will, Diners, Easter, Flower Crowns, Fluffy, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Depression, Kind of Happy ending?, Kisses, M/M, Minor Character Death, Misunderstanding, Mortal AU, Photography, Reyna/Nico friendship, Reyna/Will friendship, Some angst, Soulmate AU, another college au, friends to boyfriends, healer!will, kind of Harry Potter universe but not really, major character deaths, mostly happy endings, oblivious dorks :), photographer!Will, prince!Nico, proposal, roommate au, solangelo, soulmate charms, strangers to friends to boyfriends, veela!Nico, will loves to read, will's in a wheelchair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-01
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-16 23:42:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14175900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordsofink/pseuds/wordsofink
Summary: This is another collection of solangelo fics :)Warnings and tags will be added as writing continues. Warnings will be posted at the top of each chapter as well. Please let me know if anything needs to be tagged.1: puzzles - soulmate au, soulmate necklaces2: do you see me the way that I see you? - featuring veela!nico and photographer!will3: until death do we part - will loves nico enough to die for him (tw for death [not graphic])4: april fool's - april fool's day with some fluff5: i wheely like you - college roommate au (reference to death)6: heal my body, capture my heart - arabian nights au of sorts7: happily ever after - nico gets will a book, will never saw the ending coming*characters are not mine unless otherwise stated*





	1. puzzles

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soulmate au where you get a necklace that helps you find your soulmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this idea off of Pinterest, so I hope that the idea is clear enough.

Will loved puzzles. He loved the way that all of the pieces fit together, the way that just a little hard work and some dedication could get the job done. He loved the feeling of mystery, the feeling of knowing that piece by piece he was getting closer to seeing the final result. His favorite part was setting the last piece in place and being able to see the full picture without anything missing.

Will’s mama had given him his love for puzzles. It was the thing that they did together. Other mothers and sons played sports or had a favorite television show or shared books. Will and his mama shared puzzles. They had a whole closet full of puzzles. Some were very easy, and others had at least one thousand pieces. They even had a special table in the dining room where they’d lay out the current puzzle’s pieces and get to work. (They always used this room because it had the best lighting, and they’d never needed this room anyway.)

Will thought he was pretty good at puzzles. He could always imagine what the final picture looked like, how the pieces fit into place. He knew to work from the outside in, getting the edges pieced together before starting on the middle. And then he could group by color or pattern or shape. Puzzles - even the biggest ones - made sense to Will because it was a problem that he could solve.

On Will’s tenth birthday, Will’s expecting to get another puzzle. His mama always got him two presents: a puzzle and cupcake. This year, though, he finds the cupcake sitting on the table, no puzzle in sight. There isn’t even a wrapped present or a note. Will tries not to look disappointed. Maybe they couldn’t afford a puzzle that year, or maybe they’d somehow gone through all of the puzzles in the world. (Though Will doubted that.)

“Happy birthday, Will,” Mama says. She smiles, placing a candle in Will’s cupcake. It was a Wednesday morning in early July. Will waits for his mama to light the candle like she always did, but she doesn’t. Instead, she holds out a small box. “Here’s your puzzle, sweetie.”

Will eagerly opens the box. It was so small. How could a puzzle fit in there? He’s surprised and confused when he pulls out a necklace, one wooden charm dangling from the chain.  
“It’s a necklace,” he says. He doesn’t understand. Is it one of those wooden puzzles he’d seen at the convenience once?

“Your soulmate necklace,” Mama says. Will frowns. Up until now, he’d never really been interested in soulmates. They were always things other people talked about. They were conversations for recess or at the doctor’s office. Falling in love was for grown people, not for puzzle-loving boys who had just turned ten.

“What’s it do?” Will asks. He’s still disappointed that it’s not a puzzle. He’d been looking forward to starting a new one. All the ones they had had been completed at least three or four times already.

“See how it’s only half?” Will nods. It almost looked like one of those yin and yang things - but only half. “Well, your soulmate has the other half. That’s how you know you’ve found them.”

“But what if more than one person has the other half?” Will asks. The pattern didn’t seem so complicated. He didn’t quite understand how he was supposed to base his whole love life on this small charm.

“Only one person will. You’ve got to trust me on that.” Will nods. “Here.” She clasps the necklace around his neck. The charm sits against his sternum. Will looks at it. It kind of looked like half of a sun, or maybe a porcupine standing up. He wasn’t sure. There was some kind of swirly pattern carved into it. Will wondered if the swirly part acted like a fingerprint where no two were exactly the same.

“It gets warmer the closer it is to its other half,” Mama explains. “And then when you and your soulmate put them together, it’ll match perfectly. Like a solved puzzle.”

Will thinks he understands now. He traces his fingers over the charm. It was no bigger than a quarter. It was hard to believe that this small thing determined so much of his future. “What’s your’s look like?”

Mama gives him a sad smile. She never talked much about his dad. She’d only told him that maybe Will would meet him one day, but until then Will had almost nothing to go off of. Will watches Mama find a wooden charm on her keychain. Her’s was more of a squiggly shape, though it was about the same size as Will’s.

“Is it cold now?” Will asks. Mama shakes her head.

“It doesn’t feel like anything,” she says. Will thinks that’s the saddest thing he’s ever heard. Love shouldn’t feel like nothing. Will thinks love should feel like everything.

“What if I never find my soulmate?” Will asks. Mama kisses his forehead, lighting his candle now.

“You will, sweetie. Everyone finds their soulmate. It’s just the matter of keeping them.”

Will stares into the glow of the candle. Some wax has started to drip. He doesn’t know what to wish for, so he clasps his fingers around his necklace. He thinks of his mama with her charm, of his unknown soulmate. He wonders why his dad left, where his soulmate is. He wants happiness, even if he doesn’t find his soulmate. Will opens his eyes and wishes.  
-  
Will groans when he opens his eyes. He can hear his siblings moving around the cabin, getting ready for the day. Despite the rumor that Apollo’s children were morning people, no one ever accounted for pulling all-nighters in the infirmary with sick and injured demigods.

Will rolls out of bed, pulling on his usual attire of a T-shirt and cargo shorts. He slips into his flip-flops, tucking his necklace underneath his shirt. It was silly, he thought, but he liked that the charm hung just next to his heart. (His mama carried her’s on a keychain, but Will hadn’t given up yet.)

“Alright, breakfast time, campers!” Will calls. This gets him a few groans in return. The sun is already blazing through the windows, always an early riser in the summertime. Will leads the procession to the dining pavilion. He’s got infirmary duty this morning, even though he’d covered Kayla’s shift last night after she’d gotten hurt on the climbing wall.

The infirmary was quiet this morning. There were just some demigods recovering from a cold, some needing minor repairs. Will spends most of his time organizing the medicine cabinet and the stock closet. He strips the beds that were emptied out last night, pulling new sheets over the frames. It was important that the infirmary was clean and sanitary at all times. He’s just sent away some campers and is about to take another cat nap when he hears someone else come in.

“Hey, you missed lunch,” comes a voice. Will whirls around, almost spinning into Nico di Angelo. “Here’s a sandwich.”

Nico shoves a sandwich towards Will’s chest. Will blinks, surprised. Yeah, sure, he and Nico were friends now, but it still surprised him when Nico went out of his way to do nice things for Will. (Not because Nico was mean or self-absorbed, but because he was usually busy with his own things or not even at camp.)

“Thanks. Turkey! My favorite.” This earns him a small smile from Nico.

“Yeah. You should really take your own advice, you know,” Nico says. He sits down on Will’s desk (a folding table crammed in the corner between the closet and a light switch). “About skipping meals and such.”

Will rolls his eyes. “I was working. Not sleeping the day away. There’s a difference.” Nico smirks. Will feels his whole body heat up, his heart thumping. Nico always had this effect on Will, but it didn’t help that Nico seemed to be wearing eyeliner today. And he’d gotten a haircut.  
“When’s your shift end? You look dead on your feet.” Will pouts. He prided himself on being able to function properly and looking the opposite of dead on any given occasion.

“It ends at one,” Will says. Nico glares.

“That was an hour ago, Solace.” Will shrugs. What can he say? He’d been too busy cleaning and organizing. And then he’d had a small nap at his desk before a group of campers came in complaining of allergies.

“I was busy,” Will says. Nico glances around the mostly empty infirmary. “Earlier. I was just about to leave when you came in,” Will adds. Nico’s eyebrows rise.

“Right. Whatever, Solace. Don’t expect me to take care of you when you drop dead.”

“Thought you were the Ghost King,” Will says.

Nico’s cheeks color a little. “Right. And kings don’t deal with minor instances such as teenage medics depriving themselves of sleep to run empty infirmaries.”

“This sandwich says otherwise,” Will says, his mouth full of said sandwich. Nico just shrugs as Kayla comes in to relieve Will of his shift.

“Sorry I’m so late. There were some complications down at the archery range.” Will nods, not wanting to hear about it.

“Wanna go sit by the lake?” Nico asks. “It’s a nice day.”

Will smiles. When he’d first met Nico, the boy hadn’t wanted anything to do with the sun, let alone Will. But, slowly and surely, Will had wormed (in a good way) his way into Nico’s life. Now, he was even sure enough to call Nico his best friend. (Even if he possibly wanted a bit more than that.)

They take up their usual spot by the lake. It’s shady enough that Nico won’t complain and has a nice view of the lake. Some campers are having a canoe race. Others are swimming. Some are just trying to tan.

“Almost feels like a real summer camp,” Will says. Nico glance at him.

“I wouldn’t know.”

Will forgets about that sometimes. It feels like they’ve known each other forever, even when it’s only been a few years. Nico hadn’t been at camp when Will had first arrived. (Or maybe he had, but Will was too overwhelmed by the whole ‘you’re a demigod’ thing to notice.) They’d become friends just three summers ago after Nico decided to stay at camp.

“I don’t really know, either. I’ve only been to summer camp once.”

Nico smiles. “And now you live at one.” Will laughs. He’d never imagined living at a summer camp before, being a head counselor and all. Of course, he’d also never imagined his father being a god and him being able to heal things by singing.

“Want to go swimming?” Will asks.

“Absolutely not,” Nico says, though it isn’t mean.

“Come on, please? It’s such a nice day. We can swim over here, if you want. So no one will see you having fun.” Nico huffs, but he stands up.

“Fine.”  
-  
That night, Will can’t stop smiling. Nico had looked so gorgeous in his swim trunks and while swimming. He had developed a nice tan after spending his summers with Will. He was also very fit from all of his training in a way that Will wouldn’t ever be. (He’d long accepted the fact that he wasn’t very good with a sword.)

They’d raced each other and just fooled around, and it almost felt like normal life. Back when Will had lived with his mama and had gone to school. It almost felt like he’d never left her, had never entered into this crazy alternate universe of gods and magic.

Will’s fingers absently fold around his necklace. Nowadays, he couldn’t tell if it was getting warmer or not. It was warmer than it had been, he was sure, but he couldn’t tell anymore. Warm had become its new regular, which meant that Will’s soulmate could be anyone at camp. The only problem was that no one at camp really seemed to care about soulmates. Which Will understood, what with the wars and death and such.

But Will was a bit of a romantic, and he really wanted to find his soulmate. It wasn’t just about the puzzle anymore. It was about finding his perfect match, feeling that warmth. Will had dreamed up numerous scenarios for finding his soulmate. They could be having a class together and then just stop in the middle of it, pulled together by that indescribable warmth. Or they could be sitting across from each other during the campfire (and then maybe one of them sings a love song to the other). Or they could end up in the infirmary, and Will could patch them up and heal them with a kiss.

Will didn’t know, and he didn’t really care. He’d learned not to be too particular. The gods and fates had too much say in his life, so he wasn’t one to ask for many favors. He just wanted to find his soulmate and fall in love with them and for them to fall in love with him.

Will sighs. When Nico had taken his shirt off, Will had been disappointed to not see a necklace at all. It was possible that Nico had just taken it off to swim, but Will had never felt that pull or warmth from his necklace when he was around Nico. (And Nico never wore any jewelry other than that skull ring.) The only pulling and warmth was from Will’s own heart when he hoped so badly that Nico was his soulmate.

Still, Will guessed it wasn’t as bad as falling in love with a god. He’d never asked his mama how she’d met Apollo. He’d always hated that sad smile that came over her face, so he’d done his best to avoid the topic. But maybe he should have asked because it might have helped him.

He wonders if he should ask someone. He’d seen a few soulmate charms around camp. Any camper who cared hung it from their camp necklace. But those were only a handful of campers, and Will’s necklace had never responded to any of them. Will tried to not give up hope, but it’d been almost six years since Will had come to camp and had felt the warmth emanate from the charm. (He’d been so hopeful that day, despite the crushing weight of learning he was a demigod.)

Will turns over, tucking his necklace against his heart again. He’d find his soulmate soon, and then they’d live happily ever after. Right?  
-  
“You’re acting weird,” Kayla says. “Like, I know you’re not the best at archery, but you haven’t hit a single target all day.”

Will shrugs. “Tired.” Kayla frowns at him.

“Possible but unlikely. You’ve been getting at least eight hours of sleep for the past week, and you’ve only had to heal about three campers. So if you’re tired, it’s about some secret activity I’m not sure I want to know about.”

Will’s cheeks flush. “It’s nothing like that. It’s nothing at all,” he quickly adds.

“You haven’t been hanging out with Nico too much lately. Did something happen between you two?” Will shakes his head.

“He had some ambassador duties,” Will says.

“On Monday. Today’s Friday.” Kayla arcs her eyebrows, looking unimpressed. “If he did something, you just need to tell me. I’ll take care of it.”

Will sighs. “It’s nothing, Kayla. Nico didn’t do anything. Promise.” Kayla looks at him for a minute longer before moving back to her own target. Will tries to focus, but he keeps missing. He wonders if this is supposed to symbolize his love life. Like, the target was his soulmate, but he couldn’t figure out how to get the arrow (his heart) to meet theirs. (Despite what Nico said about Will’s poetry, Will thought he was pretty good at it.)

Will finds Nico waiting for him when he gets back to his cabin to change. Nico’s leaning against the porch railing, his arms crossed.

“Hey,” Will says. He’s a little thrown off by Nico being there. He’d been planning on going to find him later, but here he was.

“Kayla said something was off with you,” Nico says. Will pauses, looking at Nico. His eyes glance over Nico’s body, but he doesn’t find anything that could be a soulmate charm. Nico’s eyebrows raise.

“Checking me out, Solace?” Will’s cheeks flush.

“No,” he manages. He walks into the cabin. Nico follows him. Will can feel Nico right behind him, his warmth almost tricking Will into thinking his necklace is heating up. But it can’t be because Nico isn’t his soulmate.

“I don’t mind,” Nico says quietly. He’s not looking at Will, scuffing his shoes on the ground. “You looking at me, I mean. I’m getting better at it. Being okay and all about being gay.”

Will’s not sure what to say. They’d come out to each other last summer. (Will had been so happy to hear that Nico liked guys, though that didn’t mean Nico was Will’s soulmate.)

“Oh, yeah,” Will says. Nico looks up, stepping closer. He’s close enough that Will can smell the sweat on him from training, that signature of the summer heat. Will’s pretty sure he smells the same.

“Do you believe in soulmates?” Will asks as his heart jumps into his throat. Nico’s so close, and if Will leaned forward just a bit, he’d be able to kiss Nico.

“Soulmates?” Nico asks. Will nods, swallowing. Nico steps back, and Will curses internally. “I mean, I’ve heard about them, but I don’t really believe in them. It seems so stupid that a piece of wood determines who you fall in love with.” Nico seems almost angry now.

“I mean, whose job is it to say who you’re supposed to love?” Nico asks. His fingers curl into fists. “It’s just so stupid. Gods think they can mess with you. The universe thinks it can mess with you. And, besides, even if they do help you find someone, it doesn’t mean that they’ll even like you. I mean, what if mine leads me to a girl? Soulmates are supposed to be romantic, and I don’t like girls like that.”

“I’m sure they take your sexuality into account,” Will says. He’d never thought about that, but he was sure the fates would at least grant that security.

“Well, I just don’t like the idea that something else is trying to determine my fate. The gods, a wooden charm. What’s left for me to choose? Shouldn’t I get a say in my own life?”

Will can’t find words to speak. He hadn’t meant to make Nico angry. And now he knew Nico didn’t believe in soulmates, so there was no way of asking if he’d even found his soulmate or if he could help Will find his. Will felt something inside of him sink. He’d been so hopeful. But what were the chances that you ended up with your first crush, anyway? Will would probably get over Nico one day and run into his soulmate the next.

“Will?” Nico asks. Then, “Wait. Do you believe in soulmates?”

Will shrugs. “Doesn’t matter, I guess. Since I’m probably never going to find mine.”

Nico pouts before shaking his head. “No, I’m sure they’re out there. You shouldn’t give up, if you don’t want to.” He’s standing awkwardly in front of Will’s bed, the anger of before all gone out of him.

Will shrugs again. “I don’t know.”

“Do you like someone?” Nico asks. Will nods slowly. “Well, maybe you could ask them out and just forget about all of this stuff. You can be happy without your soulmate. It’s possible, I think.”

Will sighs. “I guess. My mama just told me that everyone always finds their soulmate.”

“How does that work?” Nico asks. Will doesn’t know. Looking at it like that makes it seem so stupid. What were the chances that he’d find the single match to his other half out of three billion people? “I mean, just because it’s half of a charm, doesn’t mean that you’re half of a person, you know.”

Will smiles at that. “Yeah, but it’d still be nice to fall in love.”

Nico rolls his eyes. “Who says you can’t? A necklace doesn’t dictate your life, Will. You do. With maybe a little help from the gods.”

Will laughs. “You’re probably right.” Nico nods.

“I’m old and wise. Perk of being almost eighty-something.”

“Yeah, how old are you?” Nico smiles like he’s about to divulge a secret.

“You’ll never know, Solace.”  
-  
Will had replayed his conversation with Nico so many times. He wasn’t entirely convinced, but it would be kind of freeing to be able to date anyone he wanted. Still, the soulmate thing was a puzzle. And Will loved to solve puzzles. Except, no puzzle had ever played with his heart the way that this one had. He wishes that he could talk to his mama, but he hadn’t seen her in years and there wasn’t a way for him to contact her. He wishes he’d known about all of this when he was ten and making that wish. He’d wished for happiness, but maybe he should have been a bit more specific.

“Going to ask him out?” Nico asks, almost scaring Will. Though it wasn’t exactly dark, Nico had a way of sneaking up on Will that always scared him half to death.

“Dunno. Should I?”

Nico shrugs. “Up to you. You’re the one all lovesick.” He pokes Will’s shoulder to show that he’s teasing.

“Like you don’t like someone, too,” Will says. To his surprise, Nico’s cheeks color. Will hadn’t actually thought that Nico liked someone. But maybe he did. And what if he wasn’t Will? Would Will be able to handle that?

“What’s it to you if I do?” Nico asks.

“Well, I just don’t think I should be going through this alone. And you’re my friend, and that’s what friends are for. For doing things with so I won’t be alone.” Nico huffs at this.

“I’m not sure that’s what I agreed to.” Will laughs.

“Look, it’s simple. We each ask out our crush. Simple. And then if we get rejected, we can beg Chiron to let us go into the city or something. And if we don’t get rejected, we have a date.” Foolproof, right? Will thought. Nico seemed less sure.

“How do I know this isn’t some ploy to get me to embarrass myself while you stand around watching?” Nico asks.

“Because I’ll be doing the same thing?” Will says. “So it’s fair.”

“Well, who could say no to you?” Nico asks. “Me, on the other hand.”

“No self-pity,” Will says. “We’ve already covered that. Everyone needs a prince of darkness, right?”

Nico smirks. “Yeah? Aside from the fact that I don’t think that’s an acceptable nickname, who’s your prince of darkness?”

Will blushes so deeply. He hadn’t prepared what he was going to say yet or even how he was going to ask. But he definitely hadn’t planned to ask right here at the campfire. Luckily, Austin kicks off the campfire by singing some of the traditional campfire songs that every Apollo camper was forced to learn.

Will glances at Nico. Nico nudges Will with his shoulder. “You’re not off the hook,” he shouts over the noise. “I’m going to find out sooner or later.”  
Will just pretends that he can’t hear Nico over the noise. He’s too busy trying to throw together something at least vaguely romantic. (He figures the better presentation he has, the less chance he has of getting shot down.)  
-  
“You two are so cute together,” Kayla gushes. “I was going to say something earlier, but you were so hung up on that soulmate thing.” She pauses. “What got you off of that anyway? Nico too hot for you pass up?”

Will blushes. While that was true, it was a little more than that. “I’ve just been thinking,” he says. “I’m still young, and there’s still time to find my soulmate. But why not enjoy the wait, right?”

Kayla nods. “Right. You’re awful at lying, Will.” Will shrugs. “So, are you going to take your necklace off?”

The thought hadn’t even crossed Will’s mind. His hands immediately go up to his neck where the charm sits against his chest. He suddenly feels very anxious about removing it. He’s been wearing it for almost six years. And what if he took it off and then walked past his soulmate? He’d never know. But it shouldn’t matter, right? Because he was going to ask Nico out today. (And Nico was going to say yes, right?)

“Will, hey.” Kayla sets a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay. You don’t have to.” Will nods, taking a few deep breaths to steady himself.

“I think I’m going keep it on,” Will says. Nico would understand. (He wasn’t actually sure Nico had even ever seen Will’s necklace.)

“Well, I’m going to suggest you change into something nicer, then,” Kayla says.

Will pouts. “But I wear this every day.”

“Exactly. And while I’m sure he loves you regardless, if you’re going to go all out, you could at least change into something that doesn’t require flip-flops.” Will huffs.

“I like the flip-flops,” he says. He changes shirts, but he keeps the shoes. Kayla just rolls her eyes. “I think I’m ready.” Kayla nods, handing Will a flower. He wasn’t sure where it was from, but it was pretty. His fingers tighten around it as Kayla pushes him out the door.

Will heads towards the Hades cabin. His heart is thumping, and it’s probably his imagination, but he thinks his necklace is getting warmer. Though it could just be the summer day and Will’s nerves. He’s only been to the Hades cabin a handful of times, but he’s sure he would have noticed if his necklace warmed up when he was there.

He knocks on Nico’s door. On the other side, he hears a string of Italian, some muffled cursing, a thump. Then the door is flying open. Nico’s cheeks are flushed, his hair a bit of a mess. It looks like Will interrupted him in the middle of getting dressed.  
“Is this a bad time?” Will asks. He feels Nico’s eyes glide over him.

“Um, no. What are you doing here?”

“We made that deal, you know?” Will says. He swallows. Nico nods.

“Yeah, so did you want to run your idea by me or something?” Nico asks. “I swear I’m getting around to asking. I just haven’t really come up with anything yet.”

“Or something,” Will says. He takes a deep breath, thrusting the rose forward. “Nico, I was wondering if you’d go out with me. Like on a date possibly.” He says it all in one big breath, and he’d be surprised if Nico even understood him.

“Probably slower,” Nico says. “I didn’t quite get that.” He isn’t reacting like Will thought he would. He’s not blushing or stuttering or even rejecting Will. He’s just standing there, shirtless, and critiquing Will. “Other than that, it’s good.”

Will almost slaps him. “Nico,” he says. Nico nods. “Will you go on a date with me?”

“Yeah, good,” Nico says. Then he freezes. “Wait, what? Me?” Will nods. He’s not sure if he’s feeling worse about his idea or not. Did Nico just think it so ridiculous that Will was asking Nico out? Did Nico only think of Will as a friend? Did he not even like Will at all that much? Was Nico going to reject him? Laugh at him?

“Oh.” Will blinks. “I mean, yes.” And then there’s a blush, and Nico has to kind of pry the rose out of Will’s fingers. “I’d love to go on a date with you.”  
There’s a pause where Will can’t believe that this is actually happening to him. That Nico is saying yes. He feels dizzy almost, so light and fuzzy and warm. So warm. His necklace feels like it’s about to burn him.

“You okay?” Nico asks. He drags Will into his cabin, making him sit on Nico’s bed. “You look really pale and sweaty,” Nico says.

Will glances around Nico’s room, tugging at his necklace. It’s definitely warmer, almost hot. If Will didn’t know any better, he was sure he’d have a burn mark right over his heart now. (How fitting, he almost thinks.) Nico returns with a glass of water, though Will hadn’t seen him leave.

“Will, I think you should lie down. You don’t look so good.” Nico tries to press Will back into the bed, but Will’s trying to look at Nico’s nightstand.

“My necklace,” he gets out. “It’s burning.” Nico looks confused for a moment before he also pales. Without any resistance, Will shoots up, knocking into Nico’s nightstand. Without any regard to privacy, he rummages through Nico’s stuff until he finds a small box.

“That was my mother’s,” Nico says softly. Will turns to look at him. Nico’s smiling so gently and affectionately now. He takes the box from Will’s hands. “Maybe I don’t have such bad luck after all.”

Will doesn’t understand until Nico’s opening the box and pulling out a familiar wooden charm. “I never wanted to believe in them because of my mother. But maybe this would have happened sooner if I had.” He leans forward, pressing a kiss to Will’s cheek. Will’s pretty sure he’s about to pass out now. From the heat, the excitement, the kiss.

He barely registers Nico taking his charm from his hands until his eyes land on Nico’s charm.

“Wait. Is that-?”

Nico nods. “I don’t like them, but I still thought it’d come in handy maybe. I’d feel bad if I just destroyed it or something.” He fits the pieces together, and Will starts crying. He flings his arms around Nico, completely disregarding how gross he probably is.

“It’s you,” Will chokes out. He feels Nico laugh.

“Yeah, I guess so.” There’s an awkward pause. “Sorry for getting so angry about them the other day. I just always liked you, and you never seemed to really think of me like that.” Will’s mouth drops open.

“You’re kidding me. I’ve had a crush on you since the day I first met you.” Nico rolls his eyes.

“Should have realized that you were such a sap,” he teases.  
“Anything for my prince of darkness.” Nico playfully swats at Will before pulling him in for a kiss.

“Hey, Will?” Will pulls back, looking at him. “I never upheld my end of the deal. So, go out with me?”

Will smirks. “I don’t know. I kind of found my soulmate and all today, so.” He shrugs. Nico pouts, looking up at Will with his puppy dog eyes. “But, I mean, who needs soulmates when they can have a prince of darkness?”

Nico laughs. “You’re a dork, Will.” He kisses Will again, just to make a point.

“Your dork,” Will adds.

Nico sighs. “Yes, the wooden charms have spoken.” Will grins.

“And we just happen to like each other, too.” Nico nods.

“We should kiss again,” Nico says. So they do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Easter (and April Fool's, too)!


	2. do you see me the way that I see you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico's a Veela who doesn't believe in beauty. Will's a photographer who finds beauty in everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My knowledge on Veelas is not super extensive. I just did a quick google search. And yes, I guess they're supposed to be female, but whatever. :)

Nico hates looking in the mirror. He hates mirrors in general, but he does understand that some people have to actually work at looking good. People that aren’t him. Not because he’s exceptionally good-looking or just thinks super highly of himself (the opposite is more accurate). But because he’s a Veela, and his purpose is to appear as handsome or as beautiful as anyone of the male species wants him to.

So Nico hates mirrors. Because what he sees is nothing compared to what everyone else sees. What Nico sees is a scrawny boy of eighteen with messy dark hair and just as dark circles underneath his eyes. He has a kind of pale complexion as he hates being in the sun. He’s not muscular or fit like everyone sees him to be. He’s not tall, dark, and handsome like everyone wants him to be. He’s short, exhausted, and grumpy.

Nico used to like being a Veela, back when he was younger, before he knew what being a Veela meant. He just thought it helped him make a lot of friends, that it made everyone nice to him. He used to get candy and toys as gifts from friends at school all the time. He’d mistaken the glassy-eyed stare of lust as something more innocent and kind. He almost wishes he could go back to those days, though they make him sick just thinking about it.

Nowadays, he hung around a more impulsive and less shameful crowd. They threw themselves at him left and right, whether he showed any interest at all (he never did). He got catcalled, whistled at, groped. He’d lost count of the number of hands who’d tried to claim him as their own just walking down the street. (Which was partially why Nico hated being outside.) The touch of people’s wandering hands made him sick to his stomach, but he was sure even vomiting looked attractive for a Veela.

Nico was supposed to meet Reyna today for their usual weekday pick-me-up yesterday, but she’d had to cancel. Nico sighs. He really needed a pick-me-up right now, something to boost his morale. His week was crappy, to say the least, and it was only Tuesday. Nico sighs again, glancing outside. It was almost lunchtime, and Nico was hungry. He also didn’t have much food in the house after holing himself up in his flat for the weekend.

He grabs his jacket and hat, heading for the door. There was a diner down the street that would be empty about now. It was mostly busy on the weekends and earlier in the day, the kind of place that served breakfast and brunch.

Nico walks into the diner, eyes glancing over the framed photographs on the walls. They were mostly of scenic places, though some had people in them. Nico liked them. He liked looking at other people (mostly because they weren’t him).

“Good morning, what can I get for you?” The diner has a counter towards the back, and Nico takes a seat. The staff this morning consists of a blond-haired man with startling blue eyes and lots of freckles. He smiles brightly at Nico, holding up a pad of paper. “Water?” he asks.

Nico nods. “And an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich,” he adds.

“Bacon?” the man asks. Nico shrugs, nodding. Why not? The man smiles, jotting down Nico’s order before sliding a glass of ice water towards Nico. He winks, and Nico tries to hold back his sigh. He hated it when people flirted with him like he was nothing more than a magical being put on earth to satisfy the lust of men.

“And here’s your breakfast sandwich, complete with bacon.” The man smiles at Nico again, waiting for him to take a bite Nico does. “Good, right? It’s my grandmother’s secret recipe.”

“Good,” Nico says.

“You want to pick the music this morning?” the man asks Nico. Nico frowns, confused. Out of all of the ridiculous things people have done to be near him, this one was definitely weird. (Which was saying a lot.) “It’s just that you’re the only one here, so maybe you’d like to listen to your music and not some random person’s music. Here. Just select something.”

The man hands Nico an iPod, smiling. Then he disappears into the back. Nico sighs. He figures he might as well choose some music. He’s not sure what kind of music the man would like to listen to. Nico likes most kinds of music, and he smiles when he sees that there’s some jazz. He clicks on it, almost laughing. The music fits with the diner’s atmosphere in some weird way that makes this place more appealing.

Nico closes his eyes as he finishes his sandwich. It really was pretty good. The cheese was melted just right, the bacon crispy, the eggs not too runny. The English muffin had been slightly toasted, adding a nice flavor. Whoever that man was, he knew how to make a breakfast sandwich.

“Nice choice. I personally prefer something a little more rhythmic, but I approve of your choice. Most people put on some ridiculous pop or rock and roll that borders on metal.” The man quirks a smile, and Nico quickly squishes the flutter in his heart. (He’s been flattered by people before, but they’d all turned out like the rest of them. Lustful and blind to anything Nico truly had to offer.)

Nico just shrugs, asking for the check.

“I’m Will,” Will says, sliding the check towards Nico. “In case you wanted to leave a review and talk about our awesome service. Though I can tell you that you picked a really good time to come by. Mornings are hectic.”

Nico just nods, telling Will that he can keep the tip. Then he leaves, ignoring Will’s bright smile.  
-  
“A photography exhibit?” Nico asks. He’s not that much into art or exhibits or museums. When you’re a rare species that everyone clamors to just get a look at, it really twists your idea of displays and museums.

“Yes, like pictures. Photos. On display,” Reyna says. She’s picking at her nails as she says this, already decided that they were going whether or not Nico liked it.

“Why?” Nico asks. He doesn’t understand why Reyna can’t just ask another of her friends. Nico was sure Piper or Annabeth would love to go and look at photographs with her. Nico, on the other hand, would rather not. For more reasons that it would require him to be in a public place.

“Because you’re my friend,” Reyna says. “And you’re turning into a ghost. You should get outside more. Like, even on your balcony or something. The sun won’t swoon over you, so I think you should be safe there.”

The good thing about Reyna was that she couldn’t care less about Nico’s Veela-ness. She saw him as the same scrawny kid he saw himself as (but with more positive characteristics). She didn’t take pity or excuses, and she was ruthless when it came to protecting Nico from onlookers, perverts, and the general population who couldn’t help themselves whenever Nico was present. The bad thing about Reyna was that she was immune to his charms, and she cared deeply about Nico’s physical and mental health.

“It could kill me, though,” Nico says.

Reyna smirks. “Yeah, if you stay outside for hours. The sun probably wouldn’t even recognize you.” Nico huffs. “Besides, the exhibit isn’t all that popular, so there won’t be many people there.”

“If it isn’t popular, why should we go?”

“Because Annabeth and Jason said that they knew the guy who’d taken the pictures, so it’d be like helping a friend. Even though he doesn’t get anything from it but support. Come on, Nico. Two hours. That’s all. Includes travel time.”

Nico pouts, but Reyna hardly looks at him. She just tosses him his coat and hat, walking out of his flat. She knows he’ll follow her. She’s one of his only friends, and he wouldn’t trade that for anything.

Which is how he’s ended up at the photography exhibit. Reyna had been right about the people. There was an elderly couple and maybe one other person who had walked through. The exhibit took up two rooms, each about the size of Nico’s bedroom. Some of the photos were framed. Others had no frame other than the wall they were placed on. Nico didn’t understand the orientation of the photos, but he had to admit that they were pretty good.

They looked almost familiar, though. Like he’d seen them before somewhere. He scans the little cards, but they don’t offer up much more than the photographer’s last name: Solace. He’s sure he’s never seen or heard the name before.

He’s not going to admit it, but he’s really glad Reyna dragged him here. The gallery is quiet and calm. The photographs offer him new worlds to look at, people who look at him but don’t care who he is. They all smile at him, looking so genuinely happy or focused or contemplative. They all look so real, frozen in time, like they could just jump out of the photo to smile at Nico.

“Nico, look here!” Reyna calls softly. She’s in the next room where Nico hasn’t gotten to yet. Nico thinks she’ll tease him about liking the exhibit, but she just points to a series of photographs hanging on the wall. “Pretty neat, huh? This guy’s amazing.”

The series is of ordinary objects but from unique positions. Nico wishes he could describe them, but he can’t find the right words. He wonders if this is how people see him: something so ordinary but to them so beautiful and alluring. He steps back from the photos, glancing around the room. This room is mostly filled with landscapes and settings. There’s a collection of barns, of cows, of flowers. There’s only one person in the room, and Nico walks over to read the description.

The picture is blurry, out of focus. The trees in the background are more clear than the face, but it’s familiar enough. Nico can make out the blond hair, the blue eyes, the speckles of color that are probably freckles. It’s a selfie that draws the onlooker to really look at the photo. Nico reads the description, his heart feeling funny in his chest.

“You’re smiling,” Reyna says. “Liked it?” Nico nods. “They have a gift shop. You could get one of these for your flat. One of the landscapes or trees would look nice, I think.”

Nico nods, letting Reyna lead him through the gallery. For the first time in a long time, he hardly notices the looks people give him. Instead, he’s thinking of the name, typed out so neatly, next to that blurred selfie. He’d only heard the name once (half of it), but he was sure he’d seen that face, that smile, and those blue eyes. He almost laughs at his luck. That he was served by Will just the other day, and now he’s browsing through Will Solace’s work. He’s almost sure they’re the same person.  
-  
Nico doesn’t mean to go back to the diner. (He does.) But he wants a confirmation. The notion has kept him up for two nights, and Nico values his sleep like he values his life. So he wants answers. He goes at the same time, both because it promises fewer onlookers and because he doesn’t know Will’s schedule.

“Welcome back!” Will calls out. “Breakfast sandwich or are you trying something new?”

Nico hardly has time to glance at Will before he’s being offered a menu. He goes with a cinnamon roll this time, not really that hungry. He watches Will do whatever he’s supposed to be doing behind the counter. It doesn’t look like much other than filling drink orders and delivering food.

A photograph over the register catches Nico’s eyes. It’s a cow, but Nico gets the feeling that he’s seen that cow before.

“Like cows?” comes a voice. “Or do you just like photography?”

“Neither,” Nico says. (He was indifferent to cows. He hated photographs. He hated that people still didn’t see him, even in something so untainted as a photograph.)

“Well, I like both,” Will says. He grins. “In fact, not to brag, but I took that very photo.”

“Yeah?” Nico asks. Will nods.

“This diner is just the grimy day job of an artist. Something’s got to pay the bills.” Nico nods.

“But you have an exhibit, right?”

Will’s smile grows bigger somehow. “You’ve been?” He seems surprised, and Nico can get that. He nods. “Well, it’s a great exhibit, but it’s a local gallery kind of thing. So it’s not a lot of money rolling in. I mean, you probably paid maybe five dollars for a ticket?” Nico nods. “So, that’s five dollars spread out amongst everyone who works there, plus me.”

“Sounds rough.”

Will shrugs. “Love is love. You do what you can, so you can do what you want. Just how the world works sometimes.” He holds up a finger, disappearing Into the back. When he reappears, he’s got Nico’s cinnamon roll. “What do you do?”

Nico shrugs. “Nothing as exciting. I take online classes.”

“For what?”

“General stuff,” Nico says.

“Okay, so tell me if this is overstepping anything, but if you could do whatever you wanted, what would you do?” Nico swallows his first answer (Will) and takes a bite of his cinnamon roll to stall. He just didn’t know what he wanted. He didn’t really have any hobbies because most of them required other people, and he preferred not to be around other people. He had done well in school, though he wasn’t sure if that was because he was smart or because he was a Veela.

“No clue,” Nico says. “I’m just a boring guy.”  
Will’s smile quirks to the side. “I highly doubt that. So, sports, art, music, cooking, teaching, construction?” Nico shakes his head. “Well, never fear. I’m sure you’ll find something.” He pauses. “Ever gotten a tattoo? That could be interesting. You strike me as someone who could design tattoos.”

Nico frowns. “How so?”

“Your fingers. They look like they’d be good at drawing or stenciling or holding a needle steady.” Will shrugs. “And then you’re the kind of person who could look great with or without tattoos. As long as you don’t overdo it, you know.”

Nico just shrugs. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Will smiles. “Well, life is short. Might as well fill it with things you love, right?”  
Nico doesn’t answer. Instead, he finishes off his cinnamon roll, pays, and leaves.  
-  
Nico’s sitting out on his balcony. He’s made sure that his neighbors weren’t home. He didn’t want to bring any attention to himself. He was trying to finish up an assignment for one of his general classes. The classes themselves weren’t all that difficult, which sometimes made them monotonous. Still, Nico put up with them because he couldn’t think of anything else to do.

When he was younger, he’d had an interest in sailing for some reason, but he didn’t like being in the ocean or on a boat full of people who just wanted to have sex with him. He’d also once entertained the idea of being an actor.He was sure he’d be good at it, well-liked and such. But he was also sure that that’d be pretty much like begging people to follow him around and feel him up. So he quickly discarded that idea.

It was hard to find a job where he didn’t have to see people at all. He’d tried working over the phone once, but that became too old too fast. So he’d quit and enrolled in school. He had money, and he figured he might as well put it to good use.

Nico wonders if he could get a dog. He knew that animals didn’t care about his Veela-ness, and even if they did, he’d just pretend that it was because he was such an amazing caretaker. He’d had a cat for a little while, after Bianca died. It’d been her cat, and she’d been so old and sweet. But then she’d gone and died as well, leaving Nico with an empty flat and nothing to take care of but himself.

He missed Bianca. She was one of the only people who understood Nico. And despite that, she was never afraid to go outside, to face the world. She’d embraced it, even fell in love a few times. But then she’d been hit by a distracted driver, and Nico had never really forgiven the world. If everyone could just mind their own business, Bianca would still be alive, and Nico wouldn’t be hiding out on his balcony.

Nico finishes his assignment, submitting it without double-checking anything. He didn’t really care. He had all of the time in the world until he cared about something.

He thinks about to his conversation with Will, and he finds himself smiling. Will was different somehow. He hid his lust well, masking over it with flirty comments and what seemed like genuine curiosity. And Nico couldn’t help but almost like Will. (But he couldn’t fall for the trap. Sometimes those that were unsuspecting were the most dangerous.)

Nico hated how his life had turned out. He’d imagined meeting a boy, falling in love, maybe adopting some kids. Instead, everyone was falling in lust with him, he was family-less, and he was constantly being assaulted in public. Nico’s stomach growls, and he goes inside to start on dinner. He’d gotten groceries after leaving the diner, and now he had food for another week or so.

As he cooks dinner, Nico finds himself wanting to go and see Will again. He wants to ask about the photography, how Will captures things so honestly yet so beautifully. He doesn’t understand. Most photographs like that were some trick of the eye or had filters or a lot of photoshopping. But Will’s somehow felt real, like he’d just been walking by, snapped a photo, and then hung it up.

He wrestles with himself, trying to weigh the pros and cons of seeing Will again, of letting him even just a little bit into his life. He figures he can always just disappear once Will’s proven himself amongst the masses, though the thought hurts more than Nico wants it to. (Part of him wants Will to be real, but most of him is preparing himself for the probability that he isn’t.)  
-  
“You caught me just as I was clocking out,” Will says, “but I can hang around just a minute or so longer to make sure your order is perfect.”

Nico internally cringes. Just another ‘favor’. “I’ll just come back tomorrow,” Nico says. “You’ve probably got things to do.”

Will shrugs. “Not so urgent that I can’t fix you a sandwich or some coffee. What can I get for you today?”

Nico’s tired of pushing back against these good acts, so he gives in just this once. “Just coffee. To go.”

Will nods. “If you’re interested in some finer dining, I’d suggest this cafe down the block. They make the best mac and cheese ever.” Nico smiles, watching as Will brews the coffee. “In fact, I was just heading there, if you wanted to join me. I’ll even let you pay for yourself,” he adds.

Nico can’t tell if it’s a joke or not, but it’s certainly something he’s never heard before. “Sure,” he says slowly, “if I can pay for myself.”

“I don’t like to give into stereotypes, but I am kind of a starving artist,” Will says. “Not on the street, but I don’t have the means to take handsome men for lunch whenever I feel like it.”

Nico frowns. “What makes today special?”

Will grins. “I’m feeling spontaneous, and you look like you need some company.” Nico shrugs. He doesn’t have a bad feeling in his stomach like he usually does, so he nods. He can always leave the moment this whole thing goes south.

Nico gets his coffee, and then they’re walking down the block. Will rambles on about something or other, about the next photography project he’s working on. Nico tries his best to listen, but he’s more caught up in the way that Will just seems so alive. He almost runs into a sign advertising pizza, almost whacks a lady in the face with his gesturing, almost passes the cafe in his excitement. Nico hadn’t even noticed any looks he was sure people had given him.

As he walks into the cafe, he sees someone cast Will a dirty look. Nico hopes Will didn’t see it. They give their orders at the counter, and then Will is leading Nico through the building. It was a mishmash of different styles, different eras, even. No three chairs seemed to match. None of the tables did. The decorations varied from curtains to beads to empty picture frames to lamps.

“Here’s my favorite spot to sit,” Will says. They’re on a quiet patio overlooking a busy street. It felt almost secret, private, hidden. No one seemed to notice them up there, and Nico liked that. Though he wondered if Will was trying to hide him away or if Will just really liked to sit here.

“Why’s that?” Nico asks.

“I like to watch the people. People are at their most genuine when they don’t think you’re watching them. Especially, if you’ve got a camera.” Nico looks down at the street. There were so many people down there, people Nico never noticed except for when they noticed him. When he looks back up, Will’s smiling at him.

“Is that how you get your photos?”

Will shrugs. “Sometimes. Most cases, I take the picture and then ask if it’s okay. Other times, I ask first. It depends on what I’m looking for. Some people find it easier to ignore camera than others.” Will shifts, producing a camera that Nico hadn’t noticed before.  
“So, what about the landscapes?” Nico asks. He’s way more interested than he thought he’d be. (Which is only going to make it hurt worse when Will turns out to be a pervert.)

“Luck, I guess,” Will says. “Most places are beautiful on their own. The trick is knowing how to capture it in a way that doesn’t change it. Having the right lighting, the right lens, the eye for it. But most of it is luck. Timing is something I can’t always control. Some days make it easier than others.”

Will shows Nico his camera, pointing out the fancy buttons and showing what they do. Nico can’t believe that Will somehow remembers all of that. He was lost once Will started talking about numbers and apertures and framing and balancing. But he loved listening to Will talk about it.

They’re interrupted by a waiter who looks less than pleased about Will and Nico being there. He shoves the food towards Will, winking when he hands Nico his plate. Then he glares at Will once more for good measure before leaving.

“That was weird,” Will says. “Must be having a bad day.”

Nico doesn’t comment. Instead, he takes a bite of his mac and cheese. Will had been right. It was creamy with a hint of spice. Will smiles at him. “Good, yeah?” Nico can only nod. His sandwich is just as good. He’d gotten a croissant, and it was buttery and flaky and perfect. Nico doesn’t think he’s ever enjoyed his food so much. (Though he doesn’t know if it’s really the food or the company.)

He ends up exchanging numbers with Will. He keeps telling himself that he’ll cut it off, tell Will to back off, but he doesn’t. He can’t reason out why. Will’s done nothing wrong, and Nico doesn’t want to just cut him off for no reason. So he gets Will’s number and promises to text him. And, surprisingly, he does.  
-  
“You’re smiling at your phone,” Reyna says. “I didn’t even realize you could still smile.”

Nico throws a pillow at her. They’re watching some awful romantic comedy because Reyna wanted to, and Nico honestly has no idea what’s happening in it. He’s been too busy texting Will.

“I choose not to smile. There’s a difference,” he says.

“Okay, even better. Why’re you choosing to smile?”

And that’s not right either. Because with Will, Nico doesn’t choose to smile. He just does. It’s almost like Will’s the Veela, and Nico’s the one who has to act like a fool around him.

“No reason,” Nico says. “I’m just testing it out. Like how you have to test your fire alarms and whatnot every so often.”

“Right,” Reyna says.

Nico’s smiling because Will’s just asked Nico out. He doesn’t even care that it’s over text. Then the cold settles in. Because Will can’t possibly like Nico. Not the real Nico. Will just likes the illusion of whatever version of Nico he’s seeing.  
“I didn’t mean to make fun of you,” Reyna says quietly. “It’s nice seeing you smile. You should do it more often.”

Nico shakes his head. “It’s not that,” he says. He quickly taps out a response to Will. (He can’t. He makes up the excuse that he just sees Will as a friend. Which is kind of true.) Reyna leans over Nico’s shoulder.

“Who’s Will?” She scrolls through their texts. “Wait, like, Will the photographer?”

Nico nods. “Or like Will the waiter.”

“Nico, you didn’t tell me you knew someone famous. Oh my gosh! He could sign my tree postcard I got.” Nico smirks.

“Maybe this is why.”

Reyna huffs, flicking his ear. “Okay, yeah. I get it. But still. It seems he really likes you. Do you like him? He certainly got you to smile.”

Nico shrugs. “He probably just likes my Allure, you know?” Reyna shrugs. “I don’t know. Has he said anything about your looks?”

“Like once, maybe? Or twice?” Nico can’t remember. Comments like that go in one ear and out the other. Will had talked about Nico’s features a bit when he was explaining photography. He’d talked about the lighting he’d use to photograph Nico, what kind of frame he’d want, what kind of photo he’d want to capture. But it was all so very technical that Nico wasn’t sure if he was supposed to feel flattered or insulted.

“Well, that’s a good sign, right? Maybe you should give him a chance. He hasn’t done anything creepy, right?” Nico shakes his head. “That’s a really good sign. I’d say go for it. After I meet him, of course.”

Nico smiles. “You just want to meet someone famous.”

Reyna shrugs. “Well, that. And also he might be dating my best friend. So there’s that whole thing.” Nico rolls his eyes.

“Guess it wouldn’t hurt to get a second opinion.” Reyna grins.  
-  
Nico feels kind of nervous about seeing Will again. After Nico had basically rejected Will, there hadn’t been a reply for a few days. Nico had told Reyna that they should wait a little bit to let Will decided if he even wanted to see Nico again. And then Will had texted back, asking if Nico wanted to hang out sometime. So, now they were heading to the diner to see Will.

“Hi!” Will calls. Nico can see his smile falter a little when his gaze lands on Reyna. Then he’s picking it back up, getting his pad of paper. “What can I get you?”

While Will’s getting their food, Reyna keeps giving Nico looks. Nico tries to ignore them. Will’s just a friend. A friend who’s been slightly crushed by Nico rejecting him. Still, overall, Will seemed to be doing okay. He was still kind of flirty, still made jokes. He even autographed Reyna’s postcard she’d bought. But he did seem a little off, not as bright and sunny.

Will’s smile doesn’t drop until Reyna goes to the bathroom. “You should’ve told me you had a girlfriend. I wouldn’t have even asked if I’d known.” Nico can’t tell if he’s supposed to feel hurt by that.

“She’s not my girlfriend. Just a good friend.” He pauses. “I don’t really swing that way, you know?”

Will glances at Nico for a moment before that smile comes back. “I don’t either, but I guess that was obvious.” Nico just shrugs. “Well, I feel better about that. Didn’t want to try and lure you in or anything.”

“No worries. We’re good.”

After that, Will’s back to his usual self.

“So, what’s a lovely lady like yourself doing with herself?” And then Reyna’s rambling on about her graphic design project she’s been working on. Will leans on the counter, soaking in every word Reyna says. Nico wonders for a moment if maybe Will’s just simply interested in people and their stories. And then Nico recognizes that he keeps surrounding himself with artistic people. Reyna was a graphic designer, Annabeth an architect. Piper was an interior decorator. Jason was a teacher, which was kind of a stretch, but Nico thought you had to be creative to work with children.

“And how are your classes going?” Will’s asking. Nico just shrugs.

“Submitted a paper yesterday. Boring as usual.” Will laughs.

“Well, maybe I can help you with that. I’m off tomorrow, so I’m spending it wandering around. Photographer business and all. Such a luxurious life, you know.” Nico laughs. “It can even be a date if you want.”

“Yes to wandering, no to calling it a date.”

“Deal,” Will says. They even shake on it, and Nico kind of wants to keep his hand there forever. Reyna smirks at him, making kissing noises while Will’s getting their check.

“I approve. I fully approve,” Reyna says. “He’s cute, funny, respectful. One of these days, you’re going to say yes. And then I can tell you I told you so.” She pokes his shoulder. Nico just rolls his eyes.

“I guess we’ll see.”  
-  
Will ends up picking Nico up in his beat-up car. Nico’s more worried about the car not breaking down than Will knowing where he lives. Will assures him that the car is running just perfectly, no need to worry. Nico’s worrying.

“So, where are we going?” He’s both curious and concerned that the car won’t make it there.

“Nowhere in particular. Do you need to be back at a certain time?” Nico shakes his head. “I typically just drive around until something of interest catches my eye. That’s the spontaneous part of it. And the luck.”

“Anything you’re looking for?” Nico asks.

Will shrugs. “Don’t usually know until I see it. That’s the mystery.” He pauses. “Well, sometimes I have an idea, so I go searching for things. But right now I’m just kind of looking for inspiration.” Nico nods. He fiddles with the radio after Will assures him it won’t make the car break down. He settles on a variety station, not sure what he wants to listen to or what Will likes.

“You know, I feel like I know you, but I don’t know anything about you,” Will says.

“Yeah?” Nico asks. He means it to come out challenging, but his voice is soft, almost vulnerable.  
“Kind of,” Will says. He smiles at Nico, turning off of the main road. They head down a lesser traveled road. Nico’s tried to imagine himself in this exact situation before, ever since Will put the offer on the table. And even though he’s actually here, he still has trouble imagining it.

They play some kind of twenty questions. Will’s moved around his whole life, which explains his accent. He’s got a mother and five siblings waiting for him back home. His favorite animal is the cow, which Nico could have guessed. In turn, Nico offers up pieces of his life. He tells Will of his family, how they’re gone, how he made friends with Reyna. He’s careful to avoid anything that could lead to talk of his Veela-ness.

“Well, now you’re an adventurer,” Will says, smiling. “Ooh. Look at that tree.”

Nico laughs as Will pulls off the road to look at this tree. Nico couldn’t tell you what kind of tree it was, but it did have some kind of aesthetic appeal. It was wider than it was tall, and it had small leaves. The branches were gnarled, and someone had carved their initials into the trunk.

“Disgusting,” Will says when he sees it. “It’s a classic romantic thing, but trees are too beautiful for human tattoos.” He frowns for a moment before switching on his camera. Nico watches him select settings and take some ‘practice’ shots. Then Will plays with the lighting, the angle. Nico watches him work. The only sounds are the camera clicking, the wind, the rustle of the leaves. They don’t talk, but that’s okay.

“Hey, Nico?” Will asks. Nico startles, looking at Will. “Would you mind being in the photos?” Nico blinks. “Just to add some more depth, I guess. Like, I don’t have to show your face if you don’t want me to. And you have first say in everything that would be public.”

Nico blinks again. He’s kind of flattered, but he hates photographs. “I don’t know. I mean, I’m definitely not a model.”

Will’s smile softens. “That makes you the best kind of model,” Will says. “I never use models. Too much work and too much money.”

Nico laughs. “Fine. But I want to see them when you’re done.”

Will nods. It takes a little bit of time before Nico loosens up. He trusts Will, but he’s not sure how he feels being on this side of the camera. Will takes a few photos to give Nico an idea of what he’s thinking.

“It’s about fun,” he says. “There’s no specific story except for the story of discovery.”

“It’s a tree, Will,” Nico laughs.

“Yeah, but no one’s seen it like I have. And not everything thinks to share what they see.” Will winks. Nico nods slowly.

They end up spending at least an hour at that one specific tree. Nico feels himself loosening up, forgetting that Will’s even taking pictures. Sometimes Will joins him, sets the camera up on a tripod and sets the timer. They chase each other around the tree, climb it, just walk around it. For some reason, it all feels so natural, being there with Will.

“I feel like I could kiss you,” Will breathes. They’re leaning against the trunk now, catching their breaths. “I mean, I want to kiss you.” He gives Nico a small smile, a blush warming on his cheeks.

“Yeah?” Nico asks. Will nods, almost shy now. He leans forward slowly, pecking Will on the cheek. He hears Will exhale softly. Nico pulls back, walking back towards the car. He waits while Will collects his equipment. Then they’re back on the road.

“Did you mean to do that?” Will asks. Nico nods. “Did you want to?” Nico shrugs.

“I’m still figuring this out,” Nico says.

“Okay,” Will says. He runs a hand over his face, blinking. “Okay,” he repeats. And then he’s snapped his smile back on, singing along to the radio like nothing ever happened.  
-  
They continue to hang out over the next couple weeks. Nico doesn’t ask about the photographs yet. He’s not sure if it’ll bring up the kiss, and he’s not sure if he wants to talk about the kiss. It’d been completely spontaneous, almost instinctual. Yes, Nico had wanted to kiss Will. But he wasn’t sure what to do with that information.

They visit parks, cities, cafes. Will seems to make friends with everyone wherever they go. Nico’s almost convinced that Will’s the Veela in their friendship, but no one steps over Will’s boundaries. Sometimes, Will gets dirty looks or glares as they’re walking down the street. Nico tries to wear a hat over his face, and Will never questions him. Though he makes the comment that Nico’s too beautiful to hide a few times.

“I’m selecting photos to submit,” Will says. He’s showed up at Nico’s flat, his camera and computer in hand. “I said that you’d be part of that process, so I’m upholding that promise.”

Nico smiles, patting the space beside him. Will sits down on the couch, opening his computer.

“Nice place. Could use a photo or two to lighten things up, maybe.” Nico laughs, rolls his eyes. “I’m just saying. Hey, if you like one of my photos, I’ll throw it in for free. Like a gift for being such an awesome friend.”  
Nico shrugs. “Sure, Will. I’ll consider.”

Will smiles. “I’ll even frame it for you.”

Nico has to kind of lean against Will to look at the photos. He ends up almost laying his head on Will’s shoulder as they sort through all of Will’s work. Most of the photos are amazing. At least half of them, Nico hadn’t even noticed Will take. He grabs Will’s hand for a moment, trying to stop him from scanning so fast.

“Wait. Is that me?”

“Yeah. Like it? It’s one of my favorites.”

It’s a photo of Nico from the shoulder’s up. Nico can’t think of when Will would have taken it, but it’s clear he has. It must have been some afternoon they’d spent together. The soft light is washing over Nico’s features, bringing out the brown of his eyes. His hair is windblown, pulled just slightly away from his face. Nico had to admit that he had a nice silhouette. He can’t tell what he’s looking at in the photo, but he looks calmer than he’s ever imagined himself being.

“It’s amazing,” Nico says. “And not just because it’s of me,” he adds.

Will laughs. “Of course not. But you are beautiful. And I only photograph beautiful things.”

Nico snorts. “You photograph everything, Will.”

Will bounces his eyebrows up and down. “I know.”

Nico moves onto the next photo. There are a few other pictures of him that he hadn’t noticed Will taking of him. And then they get to the pictures of the tree.

“These may not be as good as the others. I was still trying to figure out what light and whatnot fit you best.” Nico doesn’t care. He’s never liked the way he’s looked, the way he’s always seen himself. But looking at Will’s pictures, he almost doesn’t believe it’s him. He hasn’t seen his own smile in forever. He didn’t realize it could be so big. And then he gets to the photo of him kissing Will.

“We don’t have to talk about it,” Will says, “if you don’t want to.”

Nico glances at Will. He thinks Will’s asked him out at least five times at this point, and every single time Nico’s said no. He’s still afraid that all Will sees is his Veela illusion, that he’s just falling for the mask of a handsome face. But that wouldn’t explain everything else, would it? The way that Will smiles when he sees Will or the way that he can make Will laugh just by quirking his eyebrows a certain way or making a witty comment. It doesn’t account for anything Will’s said over text, the way Will hardly says anything about the way Nico looks.

And then Nico kisses Will again. Except, this time, he lets Will kiss him back. They only kiss a few times, Nico trying to maintain some means of control. Will just looks too in awe to say anything.

“You’re amazing, Nico.” He’s got this sad smile on his face, like he knows that Nico’s going to reject him once again.

“Take it slow, yeah?” Nico asks. He thinks that’s the bravest question he’s ever asked.

“Nico, I don’t care if we don’t ever kiss again. I just love being with you, and all I want is for you to like being with me.” Will sounds slightly breathless (or maybe on the verge of tears). “I don’t know your story, but I’m willing to listen, if you’ll let me hear it.”

Nico smiles. “You could have been a poet,” he says. Will shrugs.

“I am a man of many talents.” There’s a pause. “Nico, will you go out with me?”

“Can I have some time to think about it?” Will doesn’t exactly smile, but he’s definitely not crying either. He nods, packing up his stuff.

“I’ll let you know which photos I submit,” he says. “Wish me luck.”  
-  
Nico immediately calls Reyna, asking her to come over. He’s never felt so conflicted in his life, so utterly pulled in both directions. He wants Will, but he doesn’t want it all to be just a lie. He doesn’t want to be some victory, some conquest, some story Will can tell his family over the holidays. He just wants to be loved and treated like any other person.

He sighs, deciding now’s a good time as any to stretch out his wings. He hadn’t paid much attention to them lately. He’d been too busy with Will and schoolwork on the balcony. He sighs as he stretches out his arms, his back muscles. It felt so good.

And then the door opens. And Nico can’t decide if he should run or just shove Will out the door. Neither seems like good options, though, as Will looks like he might faint.

“Um, I left my flash drive,” Will says. Nico glances at the table, seeing it there. He picks it up, handing it to Will. “And you seem to have neglected to mention that you’ve got wings.”

“I’m a Veela,” Nico says. He might as well just say it now. “It comes with good looks and wings. Well, the illusion of good looks and wings.” Will nods.

“Right. Would you mind explaining that a bit deeper?” Nico sighs, but he supposes he owes Will a fair explanation. Though it was Will who had crashed so rudely into Nico’s flat without knocking. Nico runs through the basics of being a Veela. He’s pretty much a normal person, aside from everyone swooning over him and such.

“So, that’s why I keep rejecting you. Because you don’t really see me,” Nico finishes. Will’s mouth is hanging open a bit, and Nico’s tempted to close it. (He’s put his wings away now, but he’s kind of worried Will might flee if he tries to move closer.)

“I didn’t fall in love with you for your looks,” Will says slowly. “Though, you’re definitely not as ugly as you think you are.”

“Illusion,” Nico says.

“No,” Will says. “Nico, you’re beautiful. It’s not just your physical features, but also your laugh and your smile and the way that you walk.”

Nico shrugs. “Let me tell you what I see,” Will says. He scoots closer, reaching up to touch Nico’s hair. “Black hair, brown eyes. Cute nose, not too pointy. Pink lips, olive skin.” He keeps going until Nico’s crying because Will sees him. Will sees him with all of his faults, all of his freckles and moles and scars. None of that is erased like everyone else does.

“So, this may be an awful time to ask, but may I kiss you?” Nico nods, letting Will do most of the work because he’s too overwhelmed. He’s sure he looks like a mess now, red-rimmed eyes and puffy cheeks, snot running from his nose. But Will’s kissing him and telling him he’s beautiful, so maybe Will doesn’t care.

And then Reyna walks in. “Guess you solved the problem on your own,” she says, smirking. Nico pouts, but Will bursts out laughing.


	3. until death do we part

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will loves Nico. So much that he'd die for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um, WARNING: major character death(s) and angst
> 
> there's a kind of happy ending (depending on how you would define happy)
> 
> sorry

Will hadn’t seen Nico in forever.

Being the son of a (debatably) minor god, he was able to move back and forth from camp to home without too much trouble. This meant that he could attend public school, stay with his mother, and live the life of a relatively normal kid during the school year. And then he’d become the typical demigod during the summer months when his days were marked by long shifts at the infirmary, campfires, and the standard (kind of dangerous) camp activities.

It was May, and Will was getting antsy for school to be over. It was that time of year when everything was winding down, when exams were the main talk of the school, when Will was chugging coffee just to keep up with his rigorous study schedule. Will was anxious to get back to camp, to see his friends and siblings, to see Nico.

Will hadn’t really talked to Nico since August. He definitely hadn’t seen Nico since August. Iris messages didn’t really count to Will, not when he couldn’t kiss Nico’s cheek or hold his hand or just sit next to him. Sure, IM’s were better than phone calls (also including the fact that monsters weren’t quite attracted to them), but actually being with Nico was better than anything. And Will missed that the most about camp.

Nico had tried to come and visit Will over Christmas break, but he’d been held up by some unrest back at camp. Apparently, the monster activity had increased lately, and everyone was busy trying to keep the monsters at bay. They were bringing in new demigods at least every other day, it sounded like. Will felt kind of guilty that he wasn’t there to help with the influx of both new demigods and injuries. Will and Nico’s conversations kept getting more and more prolonged as demigods were sent on quests and others had to set up groups for scouting and keeping watch.

“I’m sure he’s doing fine, sweetie,” Mama says. She rubs Will’s back, kissing his head. “He knows how to take care of himself.” Will nods. He knows Nico’s capable of taking care of himself, capable of surviving tough situations. But it doesn’t mean that Will’s going to worry less.

In fact, Will’s anxiety had been steadily increasing the past few weeks. Every day that went by without a call from Nico (a call from anyone, really) was a day that something could have gone wrong. Maybe if someone had checked in with Will (though he knew it was selfish of him to want that constant reassurance), maybe then he’d worry just a bit less.

“I know, Mama. But he hasn’t called in forever. And I really miss him.” Mama sits down next to Will, rubbing at his shoulders.

“Why don’t we take a mental health weekend?” she asks. Will sighs, shrugging. He really needed to study for his exams. He also really needed to try and contact Nico again. He was hesitant to initiate the contact because he wasn’t sure if he’d somehow blow Nico’s cover or distract him during a fight. He didn’t want to be the cause of something bad happening to Nico (or anyone else).

“I don’t know. I’m really swamped with work.”

Mama fixes him with a look. “Will, I don’t care if Zeus himself demands you go on a quest.” Will holds his breath for a minute, almost expecting his mama to get struck by lightning. “We’re taking a mental health weekend. Just relaxation and rest.”

Will nods, never really able to say no to his mama. “I love you, Mama.” She kisses his forehead.

“I love you, sweetie.” She smiles at him, brushing his hair out of his face. “Nico’s going to be okay, and you will, too. If you take care of yourself.”

Will nods again, leaning his head against his mama’s shoulder. He really was so tired and stressed, and he really loved being held by his mama. He’d always been a mama’s boy (mostly due to the fact that his father lived on Mount Olympus and didn’t stop by much). They had that kind of connection where he could tell her anything, and he knew that her love for him would come first, then the lecture. He’d been so happy when Chiron had let him stay with his mama for part of the year.

“It’s past dinnertime. Should we go to that pizza place downtown?” Will nods as his stomach growls. He’d been ignoring it, trying to cram some more studying in. “See if you can contact Nico,” she says. “Then we’ll go.”

Will dashes off to the kitchen sink, starting the water. He fishes a drachma out of his pocket. (He carried them around now, never knowing when Nico would call.) Will sighs as his payment is rejected. No image appears. Will wants to try reaching Kayla or Annabeth, but he decides to wait until after dinner.

“Nothing,” he says. His mama gives him a soft smile.

“You just have to trust that he’s okay.” Will nods. He’s trying, but it doesn’t stop the anxiety stirring in his gut.  
-  
The weekend can’t come fast enough. Will doesn’t even both making plans on Friday night, instead choosing to watch movies and eat popcorn with his mama. He ends up falling asleep on the couch. His mama has to wake him up, practically dragging him to his bed. He barely has time to wonder if he should brush his teeth or not before he’s crashing.

The next time he wakes up, the sun is bright through his blinds. He glances at his clock, groaning. It’s past nine in the morning, but Will still feels like he’s been run over by a school bus. He’s got a crick in his neck, and he has to think about moving. There’s sleep stuck in his eyes, and Will feels like if he lays there any longer, he could just drift back to sleep again.

Which he does.

He finally gets up around eleven. It’s his stomach that pulls him out of bed, growling like an angry cat. HIs hair is a mess. There are bags underneath his eyes. He runs some water over his face, brushing his teeth. He finds his mama sitting on the couch. She’s still in her pjs, reading a book.

“Look who’s up.” She’s smiling. “Want to go out for brunch?”

Will nods. He doesn’t really feel like getting dressed, and he supposes he doesn’t really have to. He just throws on a T-shirt and some shorts. Then he and Mama are sitting in their favorite cafe having brunch. Will decides to treat himself, getting the waffles with strawberries instead of an omelet or oatmeal.

“Nice to see you relaxing a little,” Mama says. She smiles at him, tapping his arm.  
“Do you think I worry too much?” Will asks.

“Sometimes,” Mama says. She pauses. “When you were little, you’d hardly stop to think about things. You were so impulsive, just running head first into things. And now it seems that every decision makes you anxious.”

Will nods. “I mean, a little.” Mama waits for him to continue. Will sips at his apple juice before responding. “I just don’t want to do something wrong. Like, a lot of people depend on my actions, and I don’t want to let them down.”

“Will, no one’s perfect.” Will sighs. “Not even gods. Everyone makes mistakes. Trust me, I’ve made so many.” She smiles. “But I’ve learned from every single one of them.”

“Yeah, but what if your mistake ends up with someone dead?” Will asks.

Mama reaches over the table, taking his hands. “Will, you live in a world of life and death. Some things happen that are out of our control. What’s important is how we respond to these things.” Will wrinkles his nose. He hated that. He hated that he was half-god, and he still had to follow the rules of mortals. He had the power to heal, but he still couldn’t stop people from dying under his watch.

“I don’t like that,” Will says. Mama smiles at him.

“I know you don’t, sweetie. But you can’t live anyone else’s life for them, and you can’t plan your own life to the tee either. That’s not life.”

Will sighs. “I know, but it’s hard.” He’s not sure what else to say, but then the food comes. He quickly digs in, deciding that this is his first decision that he won’t think about. The waffles are fluffy and light. The strawberries aren’t quite in season, but they’re fresh enough. (Will can’t help but think about the strawberry fields at camp. And then he’s thinking about Nico again.)

“He’s okay, Will. Worry about yourself first.” Will nods, eating another strawberry.  
-  
He waits until his mama is in the shower before he tries to IM Nico again. When he sees Nico through the mist, he almost tries to hug him. Nico seems surprised to see him, though he gives Will a tired smile.

“Hey, sunshine,” he says. He frowns. “Are you okay? Is something wrong?”  
Will shakes his head. “No, I’ve just missed you. So much.” Nico’s expression softens again.

“I’ve missed you, too, Will. It’s hard not seeing you every day.” Will laughs. Every year, he kept thinking it’d get easier. But it’d been three years, and every year just seemed to get harder. (But he was going to graduate next year, and then he’d go to college closer to Nico.)

“How’ve you been?” Will asks softly.

Nico gives him a tired smile. He’s got dark circles underneath his eyes. His hair is a mess, and there are new cuts and scrapes along his skin that Will’s never seen before. “Okay,” Nico says. “It’s been a rough few weeks. Some of the campers are predicting a war, but there hasn’t been any real threat. Except for the monsters that keep sniffing around our borders.”

“But what about you?” Will asks. “Are you eating? Sleeping? Taking care of yourself?”

Nico laughs, though it’s not as light as it used to be. “Yeah, mostly,” he says. “Sleep when I can. Jason and Annabeth make sure I’m fed. The rest is kind of up to chance, though.” He shrugs. “How’ve you been?”

Will shrugs. “I’ve been okay.”

“Which means you’ve been worrying,” Nico says. Will feels like crying when he sees that fond smile on Nico’s face. (He really just feels like crying in general.) “It’s fine here. We’re holding them off. And soon you’ll be here. So that’ll make things that much better.”

Will smiles. “Yup. Head medic.” Nico smiles. Will’s about to say something else when Nico glances over his shoulder. Someone’s knocked on the cabin door.

“I’ve got to go, sunshine.” Will nods. “I love you, Will. Take care of yourself. No worrying about me. I’m going to be okay.”

Will nods. “I love you, Nico.” And then the IM cuts out. Will mopes over to the couch, throwing himself into the cushions. He’d thought that talking to Nico would make him feel better, but now he just felt awful. Nico looked so exhausted, so beat up. And Will was over here eating brunch and sleeping in until noon.

“Will?”

Will mumbles nonsense into the cushions. He feels the couch dip as his mama sits down. Then he’s crawling into her arms and crying. He misses Nico so much. He feels like he can’t remember the feeling of Nico’s skin, the little sounds Nico made when they kissed, the exact color of Nico’s blush. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d thought of Nico without feeling that heavy hole in his heart, the absence of a hand in his.

His mama is rubbing his back and mumbling soothing things to him, and he loves her for that. No matter how difficult it was for her to understand everything he’d been through, she never gave up trying.

“I wish I could just go back right now,” Will mumbles. “I know I can’t. Because of finals and stuff. But I wish I could.” If Will had the ability to shadow-travel, he’d probably use it for the most selfish reasons. Like seeing his boyfriend whenever he needed to. He sometimes wished that Nico wasn’t as powerful a demigod that he was always needed on the front lines. If Nico was more like him, they’d be able to spend more time together, and Will wouldn’t have to worry as much. Still, he was proud of Nico, of how hard Nico trained, of how tough and brave Nico was. (But it didn’t make him worry any less.)

Will swipes at his cheeks, trying to pull a smile on his face. He’d promised his mama a mental health weekend, not a crying and worrying about Nico weekend.  
-  
Finals come and go, and soon Will is packing for camp. He’s not heading out until a week after school ended because he wants to spend some more time with his mama. They’d gone to the beach because that was Will’s favorite place to visit.

But now Will was all packed up and ready to leave. Camp was sending a taxi to come and get him, and Will was anxious to get back. There was something heavy and uncomfortable pooling in his stomach, and he wasn’t sure if it was just the usual anxiety or him already missing his mama.

She kisses his forehead, squeezing his hand. “Don’t forget to write.” She smiles at him, brushing his hair back from his face. “I love you, Will.”

He’d kissed her cheek, hugging her so tight. And then he’d left. He settles into his seat, trying to will himself to sleep. The transition was always the hardest part. He felt guilty for leaving his mama, but he knew that he was needed at camp. He had lives in both places, and they could never intersect.

The ride to camp is uneventful. The driver hardly speaks to him, only grunting when Will tries to make conversation. So Will plans out everyone he wants to talk to when he gets there. He knows it’ll be a little different with everyone on high alert, but he still hopes that he can have some time to catch up.

Nico’s first on his list, obviously. He couldn’t wait to hug Nico, to kiss him, to be breathing the same air. Nico had been his best friend for so long, always there to make sure Will wasn’t being a hypocrite, to make sure Will was okay. He’d helped Will through the grieving process with his brothers, something Will doubted he’d ever be able to do on his own. He’d also tried to teach Will how to sword fight, though Will was still way behind in that particular skill. Will smiles at all of the memories they’d made.

The driver drops him off, and Will walks the last mile or so to the camp border. He’s got his eyes peeled for any monsters, but the day is quiet. He feels that anxiety churn in his stomach, almost making him sick. He’s breathing heavy by the time he makes it to the border, though it’s only a mile. There’s something off about the atmosphere, about everything. It feels like the world is off balance, like maybe it’s stopped spinning.

Will scans the area for anyone. He’d expected with all of the monster attacks to find people guarding the border, to be watching for any sign of movement. He doesn’t see anyone.

He heads towards the Big House. Annabeth comes running up to him. Will immediately checks her over for any injuries, but he only sees minor ones. Minor injuries don’t explain the red-rimmed eyes, the glassy tears that are falling, the almost guilty expression on her face.

“Is Percy-“ Will starts to ask. Annabeth shakes her head. Silently, she reaches for Will’s hand. He feels something small and metal in his palm. When he opens it, he sees Nico’s skull ring. He looks at Annabeth. She doesn’t have to say anything to affirm that crushing, weightless feeling in Will’s chest.

He can’t breathe. He hears an animalistic cry, something so terrible and heartbreaking that he has to cover his ears, only to realize that it’s him. His knees hit the soft ground, and he finds himself scooping up fistfuls of the dirt and grass. People are surrounding him, but he can’t tell who they are. His vision swims with tears, his heart fills with guilt.

But he’s empty.

He’s so empty. Because Nico’s hand will never fill his again. He’ll never again feel Nico’s subtle warmth when they’re cuddling. He’ll never again hear Nico’s reluctant laugh, see the way that his eyebrows crinkle when he’s worried or focused.

“What?” Will asks. His voice is hoarse now, and he’s somehow lying on his back. Jason appears, grief all over his face.

“Quest,” he says simply. “Sometimes he’s too selfless for his own good.” There’s a quirk of his mouth that could have been a smile if it weren’t so weighted down.

“All of the monsters are gone. His father took care of that,” Percy says. “Should have done it sooner, if you ask me.” He takes Annabeth’s hand absently, and Will has to look away. Because everyone has someone but him. (He’s lost his boyfriend and best friend in on fell swoop.)

Will swallows, chokes. He tries to get up, but he finds that he doesn’t care. Nico’s not waiting for him here. He has nowhere to go, nowhere he wants to go. So he just curls up into a little ball right there and cries.  
-  
Will doesn’t know what time it is, but he’s in a bed. He feels a little swell of his heart that someone must have carried him there and tucked him in. He almost tricks himself into thinking that Nico did it, that it was all some horrible joke, some awful misunderstanding. But then he realizes that he’s still covered in dirt, his heart still hurts, and Nico’s still dead.

Will’s angry and hurt and just done. It’s not fair that he’s got to be a demigod, that Nico had to be one. That Nico had to die to save so many people. This wasn’t war. This was life. And shouldn’t there be some grace?

He’s stumbling out of bed now. He doesn’t care about the harpies. If he died, maybe he’d be able to be with Nico. (Though he’s sure Nico’s made it to Elysium, and he’s sure suicide isn’t rewarded. And what other good deeds has he done? Nothing as great as Nico or Percy or Annabeth.)

And then he’s shouting at Hades, at all of the gods. Because how could they take away Nico? After everything Nico had done for them, and they couldn’t even spare his life? What was the purpose of all of this if their loyalty wasn’t even honored until death?

Will doesn’t know how long he stays out here, if he passes out or get eaten or gets struck down by an angry god. But he wakes up in what he’s thinking is the Underworld.

“You called?” Hades asks. Will startles. He’d seen Hades before, once. When Nico had insisted that Will meet uphold his end of meet-the-parents. (That had been one long weekend.)

“I’m dead,” Will says.

Hades sighs. “Mortals are always so dramatic.” He pauses. “You could be dead. If you wanted. I’m feeling generous, so I have a proposal.” He snaps his fingers.

Will chokes. Nico’s there, kneeling on the ground, a blindfold over his eyes. “Nico,” he whispers. Nico doesn’t move.

“He can’t hear or see you.” Will pulls his eyes away. “So, option one: you grieve as every mortal does and return to the living.” Will shakes his head. Hades sighs again. “Option two: you give me your life, but I promise that you and Nico can be together forever. As long as he’ll have you.”

Will knows what he wants. But he also knows that he’ll hurt so many people. He doesn’t think he can live without Nico, he’s sure of that. But what about his mama? Or his other friends? His family? Can he be so selfish as to leave them behind for Nico?

“I don’t have all day. With all of those monsters, I’m behind,” Hades says.

“Nico,” Will whispers. He thinks back to what his mama had told him. He hopes that she’ll forgive him. “I choose Nico.”

Hades snaps his fingers again, and the blindfold is gone. Will feels a little lighter, like something’s draining out of him. Nico looks rather grumpy until his eyes land on Will. A stricken expression falls over his face.

“No, Will,” he mumbles. His hands glide over Will’s body, checking for injuries. “What?”

“He sold his soul,” Hades says. “But don’t worry. I left the heart.” He almost smiles as he whisks out of the room.

“Will, no. You shouldn’t have,” Nico says. Will didn’t know it was possible to cry as a ghost, but Nico’s managing it. “Will, it would have been okay. I would have waited for you.”

Will shakes his head. “I made the choice, Nico. I want to be with you. I can’t live without you.”

Nico ducks his head, a small smile inching across his face. “Even dead, you’re super sappy,” Nico mumbles. Will just wraps his arms around Nico, sighing at how solid Nico felt. (He was sure it was just an illusion, but he wasn’t going to complain.)

“You love it.”

Nico rolls his eyes. “You’re absolutely stupid for making deals with my father,” he says. Will huffs. “But I’m oddly flattered by it.”

“I love you, too, Nico,” Will says, laughing. Nico stands on his tip-toes, smirking.

“I love you, sunshine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I definitely cried.
> 
> Hopefully, the next post will be much happier.


	4. april fool's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's April Fool's day, and Nico's completely forgotten. Good thing he's not the only one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eh - I'm not all that into April Fool's day, and I'm pretty awful at pranking, but I hope you enjoy :)

Nico wasn’t opposed to April Fool’s day. In fact, he and Will had an ongoing prank battle, but the catch was that they could only make a move on April Fool’s day. Last year, Will had somehow shrunk everything in Nico’s cabin. (He’d woken up on the floor next to his now doll-sized bed.) Nico had dyed Will’s hair so that it changed colors to reflect his moods.

This year, though, Nico had completely forgotten about it. Easter being on the same day had thrown him off.

So far, Nico had yet to run into any pranks that Will had set. His clothes were all there and untouched. His soap was still soap. His hair and skin were the same. His furniture was normal-sized. What made him suspicious was that he had yet to see Will.

Will hadn’t been at breakfast, which was unusual. Will always went to breakfast. (Because it was the most important meal of the day, Nico.) But Will wasn’t there. And Nico’s food was the usual camp food, no pranks involved. Unless he counted dodging the Stoll’s usual April Fool’s day shenanigans. He’d already fallen for the mayonnaise-filled doughnuts last year, the frozen cereal, the juice that was really jello. That was about the only good thing about eating by yourself - that you didn’t have to worry about people watching you get pranked.

“Hey, do you know where Will is?” Nico asks.

Kayla grins. “Nope. Haven’t seen him all morning.” Nico eyes her, trying to figure out if she knows anything. “You could try the infirmary. He had a late shift last night, and I’m not sure he even made it back to the cabin.”

That was a plausible excuse, and Nico decides to check it out. There hadn’t been any monsters or godly interference lately, so the infirmary was mostly empty. Austin was on duty now, and he was eating a bagel at Will’s desk.

“If you’re hurt, you’re going to have to wait until I’m done eating. Unless you’re dying,” Austin says, spraying bagel a bit.

“I’m looking for Will. Is he here?”

Austin looks around. “Nope. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen him all morning.” He pauses. “Don’t you guys have some sort of prank war going?”

Nico shrugs.

“What’s your prank this year? I loved the hair thing. Will was so annoyed.” Austin laughs.

“Didn’t plan one this year,” Nico says. Austin nods.

“Right. Well, I think Will was planning something. He’s been talking to Lou Ellen and Kayla a lot recently.” So Kayla did know something, Nico thinks. “Though, it’ll probably be really lame,” Austin adds. “Kayla’s awful at pranking people.”

Nico agrees, but he wasn’t so sure about Lou Ellen. That girl had some magic up her sleeve, which didn’t make Nico feel very good.

“Do you know where I could find Will?” Austin shrugs.

“Beats me. You know him as well as I do.”

Nico thinks for a minute. Then he heads to the archery range. Will liked to practice in the morning. He’d told Nico that it helped with focus and concentration and that the range was less busy in the morning. Nico never spent too much time on the range except for when he and Will sometimes went to practice. He preferred close-range fighting.

There are a few campers on the range, though none of them are Will.

“Looking for Will?” Clarisse calls. Nico nods. “He just finished about ten minutes ago. I think he was heading to the Big House afterward.” She winks at him, and Nico doesn’t know what to do with that information. He also wonders how he could have missed Will. Surely they would have crossed paths.

Nico sighs. He wonders if he should keep following Will or just retire to his cabin to think up some last-minute prank. He decides on the latter. Will will find him when he’s done. Nico knew to expect a prank. He just didn’t know what exactly to expect.

Nico lays on his bed, jotting down the pranks he’s already done. He considers repeating one. Will wouldn’t be expecting it. He decides that that’ll be the last resort if he can’t think of anything. He thinks of disguising Will’s food with vegetables, but Will loved vegetables and probably wouldn’t think much of it. He could steal Will’s clothes, though he wasn’t sure Will would be too ashamed of running around in only a towel to hunt Nico down.

It wasn’t like they’d pranked each other a lot. This had only been happening for three years, ever since they’d become friends. The first pranks had been really harmless, building each year. They were allowed to prank each other as many times as they wanted to within the twenty-four hours, and they were allowed to recruit help to carry out the prank.

Nico was getting a bit desperate, almost wanting to ask the Stolls what they thought a good prank would be, when there’s a knock on his door. Nico gets up slowly, moving very carefully towards the door. He checks the peephole, but there isn’t anyone out there. He considers shadow-traveling to the other side of the door, but the whole point of the pranks was fun. And Will would be really disappointed if Nico didn’t at least participate. So Nico throws the door open, expecting something to fall on his head or play music. Nothing happens.

There’s a basket of eggs sitting on the porch. It looks like a typical Easter basket, fake grass nestled between the plastic eggs. Nico quickly grabs the basket and hurries into his cabin.

Once inside, he examines the eggs. There doesn’t appear to be anything odd about them. They just look like old plastic eggs that anyone could have lying around. Nico spots a note underneath one of the eggs. Happy Easter, it reads. It’s not in Will’s handwriting, which makes Nico wonder. Was someone else pranking him this year?

(Most campers didn’t bother to even try pranking Nico. Despite Will’s efforts, most people were still kind of intimidated by him. Pranking Nico was something only Will Solace would do, it seemed.)

Nico cautiously opens a blue egg. Inside he finds a handful of M&Ms. After carefully inspecting them, he pops one into his mouth. The familiar taste of chocolate reaches his taste buds. Nico sets to opening the rest, finding chocolate and jelly beans but no prank. He’s actually kind of disappointed. This was a nice gift, and he really should thank someone. After all, his mama raised him to have manners.

He searches the basket, finding another note tucked a bit underneath the fake grass. He frowns when he reads the note. Our usual spot - 6, it reads. This was definitely in Will’s handwriting. Did that mean the basket was from Will? Nico wonders just how elaborate this whole prank is.

He figures he should get to work designing his own prank. He didn’t want to disappoint Will and not deliver. He decided he’d go the simple route. He didn’t know where Will was, so he couldn’t plan something and then see it happen. He quickly acquired the materials from the Stolls and then shadow-traveled into the Apollo cabin. He was thankful to see that the cabin was empty.

He searches around the cabin for a good place to hide the rubber snake he’d gotten. He doesn’t want to freak out Will’s siblings, just Will. At a glance, the snake looked real, but upon further examination, it was quite clear it was fake. Nico smiles. Will hated snakes with a passion. He’d once jumped into Nico’s arms after mistaking a tree root for a snake. Nico decides to hide it just underneath Will’s bed. Hopefully, he’d find it today. If not, that was Will’s problem.

“Hey, whatcha doing?” Kayla asks. She’s grinning.

Nico shrugs. “None of your business.”  
“I just want to see the look on his face when he sees that snake,” Kayla says, laughing. “Oh, he’ll be so freaked.” Nico rolls his eyes.

“I’m going smaller this year.” Kayla nods.

“You should fold his sheets. He hates it when his feet aren’t covered by the blankets.” Nico frowns, confused. “Here.” Kayla unmakes Will’s bed, twisting the sheets around. “This way, he’ll either have to completely remake his bed or be cold.”

Nico wonders how many of the other beds in the cabin looked just like Will’s already. “Do you know where Will is?”

Kayla just shrugs. “I can’t lie if you don’t ask,” she says. Nico huffs. He supposes the secrecy is part of the holiday. “Just remember that April Fool’s isn’t the only thing happening today.”

Nico nods slowly. “Yeah, Easter, right?” Kayla sighs, nodding. Nico wonders what he’s missing.

“You two are so oblivious. Absolutely perfect for each other.” At this, Nico blushes. Kayla just grins.

“What do you mean?”

“Ask me no questions, I tell you no lies,” Kayla sings. “You should come to the campfire tonight. I hear the Stolls are planning some horrible prank. Have fun booby trapping the cabin.” Then she’s gone. Nico doesn’t even know why she was in here in the first place.

Nico glances around the cabin. He decides while he’s at it, he’ll rearrange the drawers on Will’s cabinet. He switches Will’s stuff with Austin’s, not that anyone can really tell. The two had very similar fashion senses: colorful and casual. Nico frowns. He feels like he should do more, but he was out of ideas.

He shadow-travels to the arena, hoping to get some training in now that he’d pranked Will. He’s not surprised that Will isn’t there. Percy and Jason are, though.

“Hey, April Fool’s!” Percy calls. “And happy Easter!”

Nico laughs when he gets closer to Percy. He’s got blue hair and a blue tongue. “Annabeth?” Nico asks. Percy nods.

“Wanna spar?” Jason asks. “Piper was going to meet me, but she’s busy dealing with a bunny infestation. Apparently, the Stolls set some bunnies loose in the cabin after breakfast. I guess bunnies and cleanliness don’t go together.” The three of them shiver a little.

They take turns sparring each other. The goal was practice rather than actually winning or showing off. But Nico knew he was good, and he always felt good when he was working out. There was something about sparring that just cleared Nico’s mind and helped him focus on things better. He’s about to lunge at Percy for the winning strike when he sees a head of blond hair pass by the arena. He misjudges the distance and almost head butts Percy instead.

“Going for the kill, I see,” Percy jokes. They dust themselves off.

“Was that Will?” Nico asks Jason. Jason shrugs.

“Wasn’t looking. Did something happen between you two?” Nico shakes his head.

“No, I just wanted to see his reaction to the pranks.”

Jason grins. “I forgot you guys did that. Has he pranked you yet?”

“Not yet. I think he’s waiting until tonight.” He thinks back to that note. He still couldn’t figure out what it meant. They’d never had specific times for their pranks. They just kind of happened. Nico hoped he wasn’t going to get thrown into the lake or turned into a bunny.

“Better be a good prank,” Percy says. “I saw him and Kayla and Lou Ellen huddled up at breakfast the other day. They were definitely planning. Got quiet as soon as they noticed me.”

Nico nods. He wasn’t nervous. These pranks were in good fun. Still, this year felt different.  
-  
The day continues as most any other day, except for Nico was getting kind of paranoid. Usually, he could spot Will’s pranks or have at least encountered them already. But Nico had been to lunch and back without any repercussions at all. In fact, he’d had a very nice lunch with Percy and Jason. They’d had sandwiches and brownies that were shaped like eggs.

Nico kept looking for Will, for Kayla. He hadn’t seen Lou Ellen all day, but he was told that she and her cabin were planning something for later in the day. Nico’s not sure what to do. He’d visited the Apollo cabin a few times, but only a few of Will’s siblings were that at any given time. He’d visited the infirmary, but since the medics weren’t Will, they just told him to be injured or get out.

So much for a happy Easter.

Nico rummages through the basket again, looking for clues, but he can’t find any. There aren’t anymore notes. The eggs are all empty. The fake grass is just fake grass. Nico even looks at the bottom of the basket. He’s about to just ask Chiron if he can hunt down Will when there’s another knock on his cabin. He feels a shiver go down his spine.

Finally, he thinks. But no one is waiting for him. Instead, there’s a small box sitting on the porch. It’s wrapped in plain blue wrapping paper, a yellow bow around the center. A small note is hiding underneath the bow.

Hope your day has been egg-cellent, it reads. There’s a smiley face. Nico’s so confused now.

Inside the box is a chocolate bunny. It doesn’t hop away or even seem to be fake chocolate. Nico takes a small bite. It’s very real, very amazing chocolate. The handwriting looks like Will’s again, and Nico wonders if Will is somehow watching him. The idea makes him both nervous and excited. Will was definitely planning something.

“This better be good,” Nico says out loud. He hopes Will hears him.

To pent up to stay inside, Nico decides to go for a walk. He plans the longest route, heading towards the strawberry fields. He and Will used to hang out here all of the time until the nymphs decided to take over. Still, it was a nice place. It was too early for any good strawberries, still a bit on the colder side. After the strawberry fields, Nico heads towards the lake. He has to pass by the archery range and the arena again. He looks for Will, but every blond head is just another Apollo child.

There aren’t too many people on the lake. The water is still cold from the winter. There is one group of friends out canoeing, though. They don’t wave to Nico, too busy with their own festivities. The lake was where Nico and Will hung out now. They’d scouted out a nice clearing just a little way into the woods that had a nice view of the lake and the sunset. Nico often found Will here when something went wrong in the infirmary or if he just needed some peace and quiet. And so Nico would sit with Will, or vice versa, until one was ready to talk.

They’d grown a lot closer the last few years, Nico being more okay with Will’s almost puppy-like friendliness. He didn’t startle anymore when Will touched his back or rested his head on his shoulder. He didn’t think it was a joke when Will asked to hug him. Sometimes, they even held hands, though Nico convinced himself that that was simply something friends were allowed to do. After all, they were just two boys who happened to be friends, right?

Nico sighs to himself. He really liked Will, but he wasn’t sure Will liked him back. Will was so friendly with everyone, it was hard to tell if Nico was really all that special. Sure, he bothered Nico a lot by waking him up so early and bringing him food and making him visit the infirmary to keep Will company. But Nico was sure Will pestered his other friends the same.

He’s heading back to his cabin when he hears a few campers screaming. He runs towards the commotion, not sure if it was a prank or a monster. It’s the former. It seems that the Hecate cabin had devised food that made people sprout bunny ears or tails.

“It’s just temporary,” Lou Ellen calls. “But it’s nice to see so many of you in the Easter spirit.” She laughs, waving at Nico.

“Have you seen Will?” Nico asks.

Lou Ellen grins. “Nope. I’ve been too busy with this stuff. Want a cookie?”

“I’ll pass,” Nico says, eyeing a few campers who now had fluffy bunny ears.

“Well, see ya, then. I want to see if I can get Cecil to fall for this.” She runs off. Nico sighs. Will’s friends were no help at all.

How was it possible for Will to be just out of reach? Camp wasn’t that big, and Will wasn’t usually that good at not being spotted. It was also unusual for him to be out of the infirmary for so long. Whatever he was planning must have been important.  
-  
Nico’s got butterflies in his stomach as six rolls around. He’s heading towards the lake. He wasn’t sure what exactly to wear, as he wasn’t exactly sure what to expect.

When he gets to the clearing, there’s a picnic blanket and food spread out. It’s just sandwiches and some sweets, a picnic basket lying open next to them. There’s a lantern sitting on one corner of the blanket. Will’s nowhere in sight.

Nico sits down cautiously, glancing around him. He almost attacks Will when he comes out of the clearing.

“Hey, you came!” he says. He’s grinning.

“Yeah. I got your note.”

“Like the eggs? I thought it was cute. Though I wasn’t sure if you liked jelly beans or not, but they’re kind of an Easter treat, right?” Will asks, rambling.

Nico laughs, nodding. “They’re okay.”

“Well, want to eat? I made your favorite. Peanut butter and jelly.” Nico laughs. He slowly picks up a sandwich, watching Will as he takes a bite. He’s not expecting it to just taste like peanut butter and jelly. Will’s watching him closely, scratching the back of his neck. “Is it okay? Lou Ellen made me get that organic peanut butter stuff. I wasn’t sure if it was that different or not.”

“It’s fine,” Nico says. “So, anything planned for tonight?” He still can’t figure out what Will’s got planned, and Will seems nervous. Which is unusual. Usually, he was almost gleeful whenever he was pranking Nico.

“Not really,” Will says. “I was just kind of thinking dinner. Maybe the campfire.” He shrugs.

“Have you been to your cabin today?” Nico asks. Will shakes his head.

“No, why? Did my siblings make a mess in there? Gods, I keep telling them to pick up their stuff.”

Nico laughs. “No messes. Just some surprises.” Will seems confused at this. “All in good humor.”

“Oh, well, okay. Actually, I guess I had one other plan tonight.” Nico leans a little closer, taking another bite of his sandwich. Will fidgets. “I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me,” Will says.

“What?” Nico asks. He glances around, expecting someone to jump out and scream April Fool’s.

“Um, you don’t have to if you don’t like me like that. But I really like you, and I was wondering if you’d go on a date with me.”

“Why today?” Nico asks. He glances around Will, trying to figure out how much time he had to shadow-travel out of there before he was humiliated.

Will laughs. “Well, it’s three years since we became friends,” Will says, shrugging. “I thought it’d be cute or something. Why? Is Easter not a good day? We can do this whole thing tomorrow instead, I guess.” Will looks so confused. He glances behind himself, frowning.

“No, Easter is fine,” Nico says. He’s wondering if there was something in the sandwich after all. Maybe the prank was well-hidden.

“Nico, are you okay? It’s completely okay if you want to say no. I mean, I’ll be upset and all, but I’ll get over it.” He’s still frowning, confusion written all over his face.

“Is there something in these sandwiches?” Nico asks. “I don’t get it. Is this like a joke? I mean, are there going to be people jumping out at me or something?”

Will stutters. “No, do you think this is a joke? I guess I could have planned it out a bit better.” Will picks at his nails. “Do you not like it?”

“Um, I do,” Nico says slowly. “This isn’t a joke?” Will shakes his head.

“No joke, Nico. It’s okay.” Will starts to clean up the picnic, hastily shoving the extra food into the basket. Nico catches sight of a rose in the basket, realization dawning on him.

“You know today is April Fool’s day, right?” Nico asks slowly. Will pauses, his mouth slowly dropping open a little. Nico gives him a small smile. “I thought you knew. That this was all some elaborate plan.”

Will shakes his head, blinking. “It’s not a prank. I really do like you.” Nico wants to kick himself for being so rude. Will sighs. He pauses. “Wait. Is that why you asked if I’d been in my cabin lately?”

“Yes, I’ll go out with you,” Nico blurts. He scrambles to take Will’s hands. “Sorry about the misunderstanding. I really thought this was all a joke. But yes. I like you, too.”

Will blushes at that. “So, want to finish the picnic?” Nico nods. “I guess I should have planned better. I didn’t even think about our prank war,” Will says. He slaps his forehead. “Someone should have told me. Gods, I feel so stupid.” He laughs.

“This was really nice, and I liked the Easter gifts.”

Will smiles. “I know your sweet tooth.” Nico laughs.

They eat in silence, watching the sun go down. Nico leans against Will as it gets colder out, slightly jealous of warm sons of Apollo. Will warps his arms around Nico, humming.

“So, was that a yes? That there’s a prank in my cabin?” Will asks. Nico just shrugs.


	5. i wheely like you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another college au :) Will's in a wheelchair, and Nico's his new roommate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: reference to minor character death, implied/referenced depression

Nico grumbled. He didn’t understand why he had to move out just because his roommate was suddenly an RA. Shouldn’t his roommate be moving? Nico throws his stuff into the boxes that they’d given him (like some parting gift, honestly). Hazel had come to visit for the weekend, but now she was stuck helping him pack up.

“At least they told you sooner rather than later,” Hazel says. “They could have waited until classes started.”

Nico shrugs. He’d gotten the email shortly after returning to campus, and he was less than thrilled about it. He understood that the campus had limited dorm rooms, but he didn’t understand exactly why that meant he had to move. In fact, it was completely unfair. Nico wasn’t even sure who he was moving in with, but he guessed that they were probably just as upset.

“It’s just awful, Hazel,” Nico says. “No need to try and make it better.” Hazel nods. As only his half-sister, she hadn’t gotten the fiery temper that had been passed down through the di Angelo family. (Nico supposes this was probably good. Hazel could be scary when she wanted to be, and Nico didn’t need to witness that any more than necessary.)

“I think that this is the last box. I’m going to go bring the car around, okay?” Nico nods. He tapes everything up, even though he’s going to be unpacking in about thirty minutes. He grumbles, looking around his- Jakes’s- room. It wasn’t that he’d miss the room. It was nothing special. If anything, he definitely wouldn’t miss Jake’s inability to clean or his hall mate’s inability to be quiet when people were sleeping.

He starts loading up boxes, annoyed that Jake wasn’t even there to see him off. (Not that Nico ever really wanted to see Jake’s face again.) It takes five trips each for them to get his stuff to the car. They’d had to do some creative packing with just last minute notice.

“I bet your new roommate will be nice,” Hazel says. “What’s his name again?”Nico’s slightly embarrassed that he doesn’t actually know. He pulls up the email, reading off the room number and name. “Will Solace.” He scans the email for any other information. None is given.

“He sounds nice.” Nico shrugs. Hazel always thought the best of everyone. She’d even found something nice about Jake. (He could apparently play the trumpet semi-decently. Nico had yet to hear anything semi-decent come from Jake at all. It was a wonder he was being promoted to RA.)

“It’s closer to campus, I guess,” Nico says. This dorm was definitely closer to campus than his other dorm. Maybe he’d be able to sleep in more.

“Hi, are you Nico di Angelo?” There’s a girl with a dark brown braid looking at him. It’s almost a glare, like she’s sizing him up. “I’m Reyna. Your RA.” Nico nods. He wonders if all RA’s on this campus were just generally unfriendly.

“This is Hazel,” Nico says when Reyna doesn’t move. Reyna waves to Hazel.

“I’ll show you your room.” She grabs one of the boxes, walking down the hall. “Here’s your key. I trust you’re a decent person. If not, I won’t hesitate to kick you out.”

Nico doesn’t know how to respond to the last part. He just takes the key, unlocking the door. He’s surprised at how large the room is. His other room was barely big enough to fit two beds, two desk, and two people. This room was about the size of his bedroom at home.

“Will’s in class right now, but I’m sure he’ll be happy to meet you.” She smiles at him, though it still seems rather unfriendly. “I’ll go get the rest of your stuff while you start to move in.” Nico sighs when she’s gone.

“She seems friendly,” Hazel says. “I bet she and Will are close.” Nico shrugs. He’s not here to get between whatever is happening between Reyna and Will. He’s just here because he got kicked out.

He starts to put his clothes up while Hazel makes his bed. Nico notices that the other bed is considerably lower to the ground than his own. There’s a shelf placed at the foot to hold everything instead of it just going underneath. The desk is up against the window. Nico thinks it’s odd that there isn’t a desk chair.

Reyna returns with more boxes. “One perk of living here is that there’s an attached bathroom. You don’t have to share with the hall.” She shrugs, leaving again.

“That’s really cool,” Hazel says. “It’s actually pretty big, too.” Nico walks in behind her. There’s a walk-in shower, a countertop with three drawers, one sink. The toilet is between the shower and counter, and Nico notices that the counter is slightly lower than usual. There’s a chair in the shower.

“It’s definitely not the worst trade-off,” Hazel says. Nico nods. He has to admit that a bigger room and mostly-private bathroom was not what he was expecting. Reyna dumps the last of Nico’s boxes in the middle of the room.

“Will should be back in thirty minutes or so. If you have any questions or whatever, I’m room 305 just down the hall. See you later.” Then she’s gone.

“I like her,” Hazel says. Nico just keeps unpacking. Most of his stuff fits without any problem. The closet is spacious, and he’s got a nice chest of drawers that fit underneath his bed. He dumps his schoolwork on his desk, deciding to bother with that later.

“Oh, he’s got a fridge and microwave, too,” Hazel says. Nico hadn’t noticed it before. They were placed just next to the bathroom door. “I think you’ll like it here.” She pokes his side.

They say goodbye so that Hazel can make it back home in time for her own classes. She went to an all-girls college two hours away from Nico’s.

And then Nico’s alone.  
-  
“We had a class together last semester, right?” Will asks. He’s doing his homework on his bed. Nico’s trying not to bang his head against his desk. “I think you were in my literature class.”

“I don’t pay attention to anyone in my classes,” Nico says, “so if you were, I didn’t notice.” This time, Nico does bang his head (lightly) against his desk. He hates chemistry, hates science, really. He wishes he could just write a paper or read something. Even analyze something. Anything but having to actually know how to balance chemical formulas of explosive substances.

“You okay over there?” Will asks. There’s a laugh in his voice that Nico’s not sure if he enjoys or not. (He does.) “Chemistry, right? I can help you, if you’d like.”

“Why not. I’ve been barely afloat in that class, and it’s only the third week.” He’d been so tempted to drop the class, but he really needed this class to fulfill a general requirement. (And all of the other science classes were filled, the consequence of not getting up in time to register.)

“I can come over there,” Nico says as Will starts to move.

Upon first meeting Will, he’d been shocked to learn that his new roommate was in a wheelchair. But now, he had mostly gotten used to it. Will was pretty self-sufficient, not really needing Nico’s help to do anything except get things if he dropped them. Overall, Will was pretty much like every other roommate Nico had ever had but cleaner and more responsible (and way friendlier and much more handsome).

He settles down next to Will on the bed. His bed was soft, and Nico could see why Will liked sitting up here every day to do his homework. (In fact, he hardly ever saw Will at his desk. It was mostly used as a bookshelf.) Will shifts, repositioning the towel he’d placed underneath his right thigh.

“So, what did you need help with?” Will asks. He glances over Nico’s notes. “Your notes are word for word the lecture, I’m assuming,” Will says. “Based on the vocabulary and all.”

Nico nods. “I thought it’d help me learn. He doesn’t really do a great job of explaining things and giving examples. Half the time, I have no idea what’s happening.”

Will smiles at him. “Well, have no fear. I aced this class last semester.” He places Nico’s textbook between them on his little desk/table thing he used to work on. “So, we’ll just start on the basics and work our way from there, yeah?” Nico nods.

Will’s voice changes a little as he starts explaining stuff. Will’s always been super kind and friendly, but now his voice was even more patient. He’d point to the figures in Nico’s book or draw something out if it wasn’t already. He went slow enough that Nico could copy down notes, and he’d always correct Nico before he made a mistake. Then he’d have Nico explain it all back to him a few times.

“See? You’re getting it,” Will says after they cover the first few chapters and Nico feels way more confident. “We can stop here. You look like you need a break.”  
Nico laughs. “I’m definitely not as invested in this stuff as you are,” he says. That was another thing. Will seemed to really love this stuff, and he’d get excited about something and start to explain it before remembering that Nico had no idea what he was talking about. (Which was really cute.)

“To each their own, you know? I’m terrible at drafting papers. I know basic grammar, but beyond that, I don’t understand the purpose of a semicolon or an em dash. Science is written in a straightforward manner and periods. That’s all I need. And maybe the occasional comma.”

Nico rolls his eyes. “And a lot of question marks,” he adds.

“True. But that’s the best part. That there’s still so much to discover.” He pauses. “I admire writers, but that’s not for me.”

“I suppose that’s okay. Less competition.”

Will smiles, clicking his pen. He shifts. “Hey, did you want to get something to eat? It’s getting pretty late, and I haven’t eaten yet.”

Nico moves the small table to Will’s desk so Will can move into his wheelchair. He tries not to stare as Will moves, the muscles in his arms pulling taut as Will lowers himself into his wheelchair. Nico hands him the towel and then the blanket. (Nico had asked Will once about it, about having to lift himself up and maneuver with only one leg. He didn’t want to be impolite, but he also didn’t want to be ignorant of any problems that Will might have to face on a daily basis.)

“Why don’t you ever use your crutches?” Nico asks.

“I do, mostly when I’m just moving around the room, though. Or at home. Since I don’t have a prosthetic, and my arms get really sore when I use them too much. And my chair can hold my stuff easier than I can. What with all of the textbooks and whatnot.”

Nico nods. He’d never seen Will use the crutches. They’d always stayed propped up against Will’s bedpost. (He supposes Will must use them when he’s gone. He wonders if Will is embarrassed about them.)

They head to the cafeteria, taking the long ramp. It always took Nico a little longer to get places when he was with Will, but he didn’t mind. There are quite a few people having a later dinner tonight, but they manage to find a table towards the back of the cafeteria.

Will grabs his tray, and Nico follows him through the line.

“You know,” Will says once they’re seated, “we’ve been roommates for almost a month, and I don’t think I know much about you.”

“I don’t just give information away for free, you know,” Nico says. He takes a bite of his chicken.

“I do,” Will says, smiling. “Mostly free. Usually in exchange for other information.” Nico can’t tell if Will is flirting or not. “Let’s just do the basics, I guess.” Nico shrugs.

“Well, I’ve got a half-sister and a dad. My mom died when I was three, and my other sister died when I was six. No pets, which is sad, I know. Um, I think that’s about it. Oh, well, I just turned twenty.” He takes a breath when he’s finished. He didn’t usually like to drag out the boring details of his childhood, but Will seemed genuinely interested.

Will smiles. “Happy late birthday. I live with my mama and about four of my siblings. My dad’s a bit of a player, but Mama doesn’t seem to mind too much, I guess. We have two dogs and a cat. And I’m turning nineteen this summer.”

“So, does the number of siblings you live with change?” Nico asks.

For a moment, something almost sad passes over Will’s face. Then it clears up. “Yeah, most of them are half-siblings, so they sometimes stay at their other parent’s house.” Nico’s not sure what to think about that.

“Are you the youngest?” he asks.

“I’m the third oldest out of six, I think. Well, definitely third oldest. I think I have five siblings.” Nico nods. He was wondering what had happened to the other kid, the one who didn’t live with Will ever it seemed. “Are you the middle child?”

Nico nods. “What’s your favorite animal?”

“Turtle,” Will says. Nico laughs. “They’re just so cool, and they can live for so long. I don’t know. Maybe my mama read me too many of those Franklin the turtle stories.” Nico laughs again.

“I like dogs.” Will just shakes his head.

“So generic, Nico. And here I thought you’d say something like the tiger.” Nico just shrugs. Dogs were amazing.

“Are you a vegetarian?” Nico blurts. He hadn’t meant to ask, but he’d kind of been watching Will eat. And he’d never seen him eat meat.

“Sort of. I can eat it, but I try not to.” He pauses. “Both for the environment, and it also makes me feel better when I don’t eat it. And I also try to limit my dairy intake as well to decrease swelling and whatnot.” Nico nods.

“Must be hard sometimes,” he says.

Will shrugs. “I’ve gotten used to it. It’s pretty normal now.” He smiles, finishing off his rice.

“How long?”

Will frowns for a moment, and Nico wants to take back his question. He can tell that the question is loaded, that it probably opens up thoughts that Will’d rather not think about. “About three years. I’d rather not talk about it right now. It’s not really dinnertime talk.”

They finish eating in silence while Nico tries to think of a way to make this less awkward. He was generally curious by nature, and sometimes he forgot that just like he had secrets, other people did, too.

“Hey,” Will says softly on their way back to the dorm, “I’m not mad or anything. It’s just kind of unpleasant, and I’m still working through some things. I just don’t want you to think that you can’t ever ask me stuff or whatever. It’s just that a lot of stuff happened, and I’m still trying to come to terms with it.”

“I understand,” Nico says. Will gives him a soft smile, patting his arm. “But if you ever need to talk, I’m here, okay?”

Will nods. “Thanks.”  
-  
They fall into a rhythm. Will wakes up the earliest with all of his gross morning classes. Nico mostly sleeps while Will gets ready and leaves. And then Nico has the room to himself while he gets ready for his classes. They don’t usually see each other until after lunch, when Will’s doing his homework or stretching out his muscles and Nico’s back from his classes. In the evening, one of them will put on music while they study or just relax. Sometimes they talk. Then Will will take his shower and get ready for bed. Sometimes he read before falling asleep. Hours later, Nico would tuck in.

Nico liked the familiar routine. He liked knowing when Will would be in the room and when he wouldn’t be. It gave him chances to study where he wasn’t forced to go to the library just because his roommate was being loud and obnoxious. Jake had always brought friends over or came in super late.

“So, you never told me exactly why you moved rooms,” Will says one afternoon.

“Got kicked out. My roommate got promoted to RA, so I had to leave.”

“Doesn’t seem fair,” Will says. “Although, it’s possible you got the better deal.”

Nico smiles. “I like to think so.” He definitely believed so. He and Will were slowly but surely becoming friends, and Nico had already told Will way more than he’d ever tell anyone else. Sometimes, when Will couldn’t sleep (for a reason he never told Nico), they’d talk or just listen to music together. It was strange how much of Nico’s life Will was a part of, but it was also really nice. “The shower is definitely a plus.”

Will laughs. “That it is. You have no idea how hard it is to get into a tub with crutches.”

They’d only had one awkward bathroom encounter, when Will had forgotten to lock the door and Nico had forgotten to knock. Nico had opened the door to find Will sitting in his shower chair, tugging his shirt off. He’d quickly spluttered something before heading to the hall bathroom. (He was so flustered he almost walked into the girl’s bathroom.)

“Why didn’t you have a roommate?”

“My friend moved out last semester to stay with his girlfriend. They’d gotten an apartment together for Christmas. So he left the luxury that is the disability dorm for his girlfriend.” Nico smiles.

“It’s a pretty sweet dorm.” Will nods.

“True. The handrails are so handy, you know?” Nico laughs. He was sure the handrails were very handy, but they were also a kind of a nuisance. Everything either had to be shorter than them or had to be a few inches away from the wall.

“Hey, is this right?” Nico asks. He shows Will his homework sheet. He thinks he’s doing better in chemistry with Will tutoring him on the side. He’d actually answered a question when his professor had called on him. He was just as surprised as his professor.

“Yeah, looks good.” Will smiles. “Look at my star pupil.”

Nico blushes despite himself. That was another thing. While he and Will were getting more comfortable with each other, he was also slowly nurturing a growing crush on Will. At first, the crush had been purely physical. Will was drop-dead handsome, and he had amazing muscles. But now it was more than that. He was insanely kind and thoughtful, sometimes bringing Nico food when he’d been studying for a while or helping him with chemistry. He was also funny, and he never judged Nico for anything (no matter how many times Nico had embarrassed himself). And not to mention his smile or his laugh or his freckles. Nico was a goner for freckles.

There’s a knock on the door, and Will answers.

“Hey, Reyna. What’s up?”

“I was going for a hike, and I wondered if you wanted to come with. Nico can join, too.” She glances over at Nico. “Just by the nature center. They have those really nice walking trails.”

Will smiles. “Sure. Nico?”

Nico nods. Why not? He’d been studying for a while, and fresh air would be good for him. They follow Reyna to the parking lot where she helps Will into the car. Then she’s folding his wheelchair into the trunk. Nico hops in beside Will.

The nature center isn’t too far away. It’s about twenty minutes away from campus. Nico had yet to really explore the area. He wasn’t really the type of person to get out and do things. He preferred when things happened closer to him. Also, he didn’t have a car, and the public transportation around town was highly unreliable.

The nature center turns out to be more like a cabin in the woods. Nico glances at Will for a moment, wondering if his wheelchair would be able to navigate the pathways. They go inside to get a map before heading out. On this side of the cabin, Nico can see the nicely cleared pathways.

“Have you been here before?” Reyna asks. She seems a lot more friendly than she’d been before. She almost smiles at him. Nico shakes his head. “It’s pretty neat out here. When it’s warmer, they sometimes have events and stuff. Picnics and educational shows.”

The path is just wide enough for them to walk next to each other, Reyna in the middle. She keeps up the conversation as they continue to walk, occasionally stopping to inspect a tree or a flower or a bug.

“Reyna’s an environmental science major,” Will explains when they’ve stopped for the fifth time. “I mean, they don’t all do this, but sometimes it’s nice to learn from nature itself rather than having to rely on textbooks.” Reyna’s mumbling to herself, consulting some notebook in her hands.

“Have you two been friends for long?” Nico asks.

Will smiles. “Yeah. We went to high school together, though we weren’t really all that close until we met up at college.” He pauses. “It’s funny how that works out, you know?”

Nico nods. He’d come to college to leave high school. Not that high school was awful, but it wasn’t something Nico wanted to repeat.

As they walked along, Reyna sometimes pointed out stuff. It was nice hearing her talk about something she was passionate about. It made Nico like her more. She wasn’t just going to kick his butt if he was rude to Will. She was also willing to be his friend because they were both Will’s friends.

“Oh, we can rest up here,” Reyna says. “It’s not really warm enough, but there’s a creek here.” They’ve only gone about two or three miles, and Nico wonders why they’re resting until he looks at Will. He’s stretching out his arms, flexing his fingers. He didn’t have one of those electric wheelchairs so he had to push himself along.

“Are you okay?” Nico asks.

Will smiles at him, nodding. “Yeah, I’m just making sure I don’t get cramps. The cold makes it a bit harder sometimes.” Will had traded out his usual blanket for a heavier one before they’d left, but Nico still wondered if he was cold.

“Did you want some water or a snack? I brought some in my bag,” Will offers. Nico smiles, getting a water bottle out. He hadn’t thought about it, but he was thirsty. After a few more minutes of rest, they were continuing along the trail.

“It’s a lot prettier in the spring,” Reyna says. “We’ll have to come out here another time.” Nico agrees. He’d enjoyed this. It was peaceful and relaxing, and he’d enjoyed getting to know Reyna better. He was also kind of relieved to realize that she didn’t hate him.

“Oh, we’re having a game night this weekend,” Reyna says once they’re back on campus. “So, if you have any games or just want to play some games, come join us around six on Saturday.”

Nico nods. “Maybe you can teach us to play Mythomagic,” Will says. Nico groans.

“I thought we agreed never to bring that up again.”

Will smiles. “I think it’s cute. Besides, you’re so good at it.”

Nico laughs. “Only because you’re so bad at it.” Will reaches out to playfully push Nico. Nico catches Reyna smiling at them. “Well, maybe. If you’re sure it’s not such a shameful thing to bring to a college game night.”

Reyna shrugs. “Depends on who shows up, really. I’ve done anything from play Uno the entire night to playing Dungeons and Dragons for hours on end.” She gives Will a light punch on the arm, smiling. “See you later. Nice meeting you, Nico.”

“Sorry to out your secret,” Will says, “but your gift should be shared with the world!”

Nico rolls his eyes, not even caring anymore. He’s trying to figure out if Reyna’s also got a crush on Will. If so, he’s definitely going lose the battle. But, if not, maybe there’s a chance.  
-  
It’s mid-February, and Nico notices that there’s something wrong with Will. He’s taking longer showers, taking longer to move from his bed to his wheelchair, staying in the room longer before remembering to eat. He’s also quieter, more distracted, in general, But Nico notices it when he’s helping Nico with chemistry.

“Sorry,” Will says when Nico brings it up. “I’m just tired.”

That’s another thing. Nico doesn’t think that Will’s been sleeping the past few nights. He can hear Will tossing and turning even after Nico’s gone to bed, long after Will’s usually asleep. He’s not sure if Will’s having nightmare or just can’t sleep. Nico’s not quite sure how to ask Will, and Will’s not offering anything up.  
“Do you want to sleep? I can go to the library.”

At this, Will’s eyes widen. “No! I mean, no. You don’t have to. It’s your room, too. I can sleep, and you can stay.” Will moves himself up onto his bed, covering himself with the blankets. He burrows underneath the blankets, only his blond hair visible. Nico turns off the lights, hoping that Will will sleep.

It’s about forty-five minutes before he hears Will’s muffled voice. “Can you turn on some music?”

“Yeah, what do you want?” Nico grabs his phone, scrolling through his playlists.

“I don’t care. It’s too quiet.” Nico chooses something he knows Will likes, hoping that it’ll help him sleep. It’s twenty minutes before Will turns over, his head popping out of the covers a little.

“Nico?” Will’s voice is so soft, like he’s scared or about to cry. Nico looks up.

“I’m here,” he says.

“Okay,” Will says. He lays his head back on the pillow. Will eventually seems to fall asleep, and Nico feels so relieved.

It’s two days later when Will doesn’t leave his bed. He’s still asleep when Nico gets up to leave for classes. Nico wonders if Will has gotten sick or something, but he thinks about the past week. Will has been acting strange all week, and it’s clear that something’s up.

“Will?” He tries to shake Will, but Will just whines and rolls over again. Nico runs down the hall, knocking almost frantically on Reyna’s door.

“Nico?” she asks. She’s still in her pjs, rubbing at her eyes. “What’s wrong?” Nico tries to explain, but he’s not even sure what’s wrong.

“It’s Will,” Nico says. “He’s been weird all week.”

Reyna gives him a sad smile. “Yeah,” she says. “This week’s pretty tough for him. I’ll be over later today to check in on him. He’ll be okay.”

Nico nods, but he’s not convinced. He checks in on Will one more time before he leaves for his classes. He leaves Will a note to call him if he needs anything, even writing down his number, though he’s sure that Will already has it. He doesn’t pay attention in any of his classes, and he rushes back to the room to find Will gone. Or, it seems he’s gone. His bed is empty, but his wheelchair is still parked by his bed.

“Will?” Nico calls. He’s answered by a mumble from the bathroom. He finds Will slumped against the bathroom door. “Hey, are you okay?”

Will shrugs. “No,” he says. “I hurt.” There’s a pause. “Help me up?” Nico pulls Will up, helping him back into bed. Will slumps against the pillows, sniffling.

“What hurts?” Nico asks. “Have you eaten?”

Will shakes his head. He pats the space beside him. Nico crawls in, surprised when Will slumps onto Nico’s shoulder. It takes him a minute to realize that Will’s crying. He doesn’t know what to do, so he just holds Will and hands him tissues.

Around two in the afternoon, Reyna comes over with her laptop, and they watch movies and eat popcorn until the moon comes out. They don’t talk much, just watch movie after movie. When Reyna and Nico get hungry, they order pizza. Will hardly has three bites. And then it’s almost midnight. Reyna kisses Will on the cheek, tucks him in.

(They repeat this for two more days, each day Will being more active, eating more food. Will finally takes a shower, and both Nico and Reyna are happy about that. On the third day, he catches up on some homework, calls his mom. They don’t talk much, but Nico’s glad that Will’s got family supporting him. He’s still awfully quiet to the point where it’s almost eerie, but Nico understands that this must be what Will’s still working through, so he doesn’t push.

Later Will tells Nico about Michael, his brother. About how they were driving to Wendy’s on Wednesday afternoon. About how some car had pulled out in front of them and hit them. About how Michael had been killed on site. About how Will had lost his leg. About how Will felt so guilty every time Michael’s birthday came around, especially this year. Because every year he was reaching ages Michael would never reach. But that was all later. Right now, he just holds Will.)  
-  
It’s a sunny day in March, and Nico and Will are sitting outside on the quad. Will’s reading, and Nico’s working on some more homework.

“Have you ever played Frisbee?” Nico asks. He’s getting distracted watching the men’s Frisbee team practice on the quad.

Will looks at him before looking at the team. “I wasn’t ever good at sports,” he says. “I was more of a bookworm than anything. So at least I can still do that.” He smiles.

“What do you miss most? It’s okay if you don’t want to answer.”

Will shrugs. “Probably just long walks. Like, I can still technically go for long walks, but it’s amazing the number of people who think I’m lost or running away.” He looks at Nico, smiling. “And just not being a hassle, I guess. Mama had to get a new car, and she lowered the dining table. And then we installed a ramp and a bunch of other things. That’s why I use my crutches at home. So I’m not being so catered to. It gets kind of tedious after a while.”

“Are you going home for spring break?” Nico was going home. He missed Hazel and his dad. Hazel called every now and then, but apparently, she’d gotten a boyfriend. She had yet to tell Nico of the details.

“Yeah. Mama’s going to pick me up next Friday. If you’re still here, she’d love to meet you. She thinks you’re an angel, honestly.”

Nico laughs. “What all have you been telling her?”

“Oh, just how great a friend you are and how bad you are at chemistry.” He winks, and Nico blushes. “I’m kidding. About one of those things.”

Nico sticks his tongue out. “Whatever, Will.” There’s a pause where Will’s about to go back to reading. “Hey, random question. Have you ever dated anyone?”

Will grins. “Why so curious, Nico?” Nico shrugs. “Well, to answer that, yes. I dated this girl back in seventh grade.” Will shivers. “Nice but definitely not my type. And then I dated a boy in high school. We broke up because he liked the captain of the football team better. Not my crowning moment.”

Nico smiles. “I’ve had about a million crushes on this one kid I went to high school with. He was completely straight though, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to marry his high school sweetheart.” Will gives him a sympathetic look. “But I’ve gotten over it. I like someone else now.”

Will nods. “Yes, go on.” They’re both blushing. Nico glances at Will, trying hard not to stare.

There’s a whooshing sound, and then Will’s being knocked over.

“Hey!” Nico yells. While they were on the quad, they were well away from the Frisbee game. The guy who had just run Will over looks a little dazed. Will’s trying to get up, but the chair’s kind of landed on top of him. Nico sets the chair right again, helping Will back into it.

“Are you okay?” Will bends his wrist, wincing.

“Might have sprained it, but I think the other guy got it worse.” He frowns. “What kind of person just runs over a guy in a wheelchair? I mean, I’m sitting right here. I’m not invisible.” He huffs, trying to push himself, but his wrist must hurt. He looks defeated when he asks Nico to push him back to their room.

“Do you want help into your bed?” Will shakes his head, making no move to get out of his chair. There are tears brimming in his eyes, and he wipes at them angrily. “Will, are you okay? How’s your wrist?”

“It’s fine,” Will grumbles. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. You know, if I weren’t in a wheelchair, you’d probably have just laughed and walked away.” He wipes at his face again. “I’m so sick of being treated differently,” he says, but his voice has lost the angry edge. He just sounds tired now.

“Will, I-“ Will cuts him off.

“I’m sorry, Nico,” he says. “I’m just tired of this. I just wish things could be back to normal.” He pulls his left leg up into the wheelchair with him, resting his head on his knee. “I don’t like being known as the kid in the wheelchair, the only one who uses those stupid ramps because he can’t take the stairs. I take back what I said earlier. I miss taking the stairs. And not a ramp or an elevator.”

“Will,” Nico starts again, but he doesn’t know how to finish it. He pulls up a chair, sitting down next to Will. Will drops his head onto Nico’s shoulder.

“I know,” he says. “Yadda, yadda. It’s all going to be okay.” He sniffles. “But what if I’m not okay?”

Nico brushes Will’s hair back, sighing. “That’s okay, too. It’s okay to not be okay. But things will get better. Or, at least, they won’t always be so bad.”

Will hums. “I guess.”

Nico smiles. “Trust me on this.”

“Fine,” Will grumbles.  
-  
It’s the Thursday before spring break, and Will enters the room with fanfare. Nico startles from where he’s been studying. Will usually entered the room somewhat quietly. This time, he almost barges in.

“What’s the occasion?” Nico asks.

Will’s cheeks are flushed, and he takes a moment to catch his breath. “I’ve come to a revelation,” he says loudly. Nico waits. “Reyna and I were just talking about the other day, and then I remembered.” He pauses.

“Yeah?” Nico prompts.

“I remember what I was going to do before I got so rudely run over.” Will beams, though he also scratches at the back of his hand, a nervous gesture.

“Which was?” Nico prompts again. He’s done with all of this grandeur. He just wants Will to get to the point. Will wheels over to Nico’s desk, smiling.

“This.” And then Will’s reaching up to cup Nico’s face. They’re pretty much eye level, so all they have to do is lean forward. Their noses mash together a bit, but Nico still gasps slightly when Will’s lips touch his. It’s not the romantic kind of kiss that he reads about in his novels, but somehow it’s better.

They have to pull back after a few seconds to catch their breath. “I sprinted here,” Will says. “To kiss you.” He looks triumphant, and Nico has to laugh. “And you kissed me back.”

Nico laughs again. “I did. And I’ll do it again.”

Will wiggles his eyebrows, and Nico draws him in for another kiss. It’s better than the first one, and Nico’s quite sure that with a little practice, they’ll soon be experts. Will seems to agree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if there was anything inconsistent/incorrect :)


	6. heal my body, capture my heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kind of an arabian nights au - basically, Will heals Nico, and Nico falls in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is pretty short.
> 
> Also, please let me know if there are any inaccuracies. :)

It is Nico’s favorite part of the night. In honor of his birthday, his father had invited renowned dancers to perform some of his favorite stories. Nico knew it probably sounded a bit childish, but he never got tired of all of the colors, of the music, of the gestures. He’d once attempted to learn the dances himself, but he never quite mastered the same grace or easiness that the other dancers did.

He sits down on the cushions spread out on the floor, anticipation welling in him. The candles were lit around the stage area, and the musicians were tuning their instruments. He smiles as his sisters sit beside him. He compliments Bianca on her new outfit. She’d been so happy when she got it, immediately trying it on for all of them. It matched her eyes perfectly. Hazel smiles at him, just as excited.

Then the show begins. Nico becomes enraptured as the dance unfolds. He watches each movement, absently mimicking the hand gestures. He finds himself hanging onto each and every facial expression, each and every movement, though he knows all the stories. He knows how they’ll end, which characters will die, which will triumph, which will get away with their trickery. He loves it all.

It’s not until the dances are over that he looks at the dancers themselves. He recognizes some of them. Most are well-known, invited from across many lands. Nico’s been to hundreds of their performances over the years, has seen all of the stories performed a hundred times over. He falls in love every time.

Except, tonight feels different. He’s not sure if it’s because he’s suddenly a year older, if it’s because the celebration is a thousand times more intimate than it’s ever been.

One thing he knows is that there’s a new dancer. His hair is the color of spun gold, and his eyes shine like gems. He’s standing off to the side, drinking only water though there is a fine selection of wines and juices. A dark blue kurta adorns his body, simple white pants underneath. He’s watching the party, his eyes bright as he takes in the music, the people.

“He’s a new dancer,” Nico’s father says. “Some say his dances are cures for illness, that he can heal the sick with just his grace.”

“Thank you for the celebration, Papa.” His father smiles, squeezing his shoulder.

“I think you should go talk to him. His father is an accomplished medic. Very honorable family.”

Nico walks up to the dancer. The dancer immediately bows, gracefully holding his glass so he doesn’t spill. “Your performance, it was amazing. Thank you for coming.”

The dancer smiles at him, and Nico feels breathless. “Thank you for inviting me. It is an honor to be performing for my prince.”  
“What is your name?”

“Will.” He leans forward to kiss Nico’s hand. “I hope I get the honor to dance for you again.” And then he bows, taking his leave.

Nico just stands there, watching as Will walks with all of the grace of an acrobat. Nico definitely believes that he could heal the sick. Maybe he wouldn’t even need to dance.  
-  
Nico doesn’t know what’s wrong with him. Three days after his birthday, and he’s woken up with the chills. Sweat was breaking out along his forehead, though he huddled underneath the sheets for warmth. His throat is dry, and he could barely move without getting lightheaded. He ends up staying in bed until a servant has come to admonish him for missing breakfast.

“My prince!” he exclaims. Then he is leaving to find Nico’s father.

Now, Nico’s whole family is standing around his bed. He goes in and out of consciousness, not quite sure what his diagnosis is. He feels a towel being placed over his forehead, a medic poking at his stomach. He gasps as someone peels the sheets off of him. He curls up, both embarrassed and cold.

“I need you to sit up, my prince,” comes a new voice. “You must try and drink this broth.”

Hands help Nico sit up, and then a spoon is poking at his lips. He swallows the first sip with difficulty. It warms his throat, causing him to shake. He swallows a few more sips before sagging forward. He doesn’t have the strength to hold himself up, to swallow any more broth.

“What about your son?” Nico hears. There’s more commotion, and Nico sinks further into the pillows. His sleep is punctuated with random flashes of dreams, of hands poking him, moving him. He hears voices he’s not sure he recognizes. His mother is holding his hand. Then it’s his sister. Then the room seems empty.

Nico wonders if they’ve just left him to die.

He’s about to bury himself in the covers when he feels warm hands touch his arms. “Easy now, my prince.” He’s being propped up against his pillows, the blankets pulled over his lap. He’s still a bit cold, still sweating. His eyes focus on two blue eyes. “There we are.”

“Am I dying?” Nico asks. His voice cracks twice, and Will helps him sip some water.

“Not planning on it.” There’s that brilliant smile. “Keep your eyes on me, okay?”

Nico thinks he nods. Will moves away from him, positioning himself at the end of Nico’s bed. It’s only now that Nico realizes he’s shirtless. He’s only wearing white trousers, an intricately patterned shawl draped over his shoulder. Nico, despite his sickness, feels himself blush. Will rewards him with a gentle smile.

Will settles into a familiar form, and Nico remembers who he is. He’s a dancer who can cure sickness, his father had said. Nico smiles, settling into his pillows. Will moves with perfect grace despite having no music, though Nico feels like he can hear it, feel it even. He’s captivated, even more so than usual. 

Will dances a series of stories, adding in a few extra gestures that Nico doesn’t recognize from the traditional story, but he somehow understands them nonetheless. Nico watches the precision of Will’s fingers, his arms, the way each body part seems to move independently of another but all flows together. He watches the way Will’s muscles work, the way his hair frames his eyes. The shawl only adds to the combination, making Will seem like a bird or a fish. Nico leans forward, almost falling on his face by the time Will finishes.

Will’s chest is heaving, clearly out of breath, but he’s smiling. He bows before moving to Nico’s bedside. He has Nico drink some more water, try to swallow more broth. Nico does as he’s told, not wanting those strong hands to leave him. But somehow he finishes the broth, and Will is gently helping him into a laying position.

“Sleep, my prince,” he says softly. Nico wants to shake his head, wants to hold onto Will’s hand, wants to make Will promise to see him again. Will bends down, kissing Nico’s cheek. “One for healing.” He kisses the other. “One for sweet dreams.”

Then Nico’s plunging into sleep.  
-  
There’s someone running their fingers through his hair. It should be creepy, but Nico leans into the touch. Intimacy was not something received out on the streets. It was an act saved for the privacy of the home, and even more so, the bedroom.

Nico turns over, expecting to see his father or mother. Instead, he’s met with a side profile of Will. Will’s eyes are closed, his hand absently trailing through Nico’s hair. He doesn’t even seem aware that Nico is awake. Nico wonders if Will is awake.

“Hi,” Nico rasps out. Will doesn’t startle, but it’s clear that he’s surprised. His eyes widen a little before softening.

“You’re on bed rest,” Will says. “Three days.”

Nico nods. He can do that. In fact, he wants to do that. He has no thought of moving from his bed until he can lift his head without seeing stars. (Although, he’s sure part of that is due now to Will’s presence.)

“What’s wrong with me?”

Will sighs. “Unfortunately, I don’t diagnose. I just heal.” Nico raises his eyebrows, slowly. His skin feels dry. Will lifts his hand, placing the back of it against Nico’s cheek. “You’re still really warm.” Nico nuzzles closer to Will’s hand. It’s soft and warm and comforting.

“What are we doing?” Nico asks. He’s very aware of the courting rituals of his country. He’s very aware of his status, of Will’s status. While his parents had never discussed arranged marriage with him (a small luxury), he still wasn’t sure if they would approve of someone like Will. Healers, especially with Will’s ability, were in a different class than dancers.

“I’m making sure you’re okay,” Will says. “Your people need you.” There’s a bittersweet undertone to Will’s voice, and Nico wishes he could heal it.

“How do you heal?” Nico asks, striving for a more neutral topic.

Will doesn’t answer for a moment. His hand slides down Nico’s cheek, his fingers slipping off of Nico’s chin. Then it’s fidgeting with his other hand. “I don’t really know. I feel like it’s the passion. I dance with my heart. When I dance the stories, I become the stories. And maybe that power is enough to heal.”  
Nico nods. He still feels so tired. Will pulls the blanket up to Nico’s chin, smiling a little. “Am I getting better?”

Will nods. “Your health is definitely improving. You should be back to your usual activities by the end of the week.” Silence falls over them, and it’s a little awkward.

Nico thinks back to his first crush. It had been on a boy that kept up the palace grounds. Nico used to watch him from the window, used to ask him about the plants, the flowers. He could rattle off any flower meaning, but he hardly knew anything about this boy. And, yet, he was head over heels.

His father hadn’t approved of the match, had forbidden it. It was more about class differences than anything, and Nico had yet to forget that lesson. Then, he’d been a small boy with a crush. Now, he is a young man with something undefinable in his heart.

“I wish you could stay,” Nico whispers. He knows he shouldn’t. He shouldn’t encourage anything that won’t come through to fruition. It’s just messing with both of their hearts. “I almost wish that none of this mattered.” He gestures weakly to his room.

Will quirks a smile. “It matters for a reason,” Will says. He brushes Nico’s hair back. “Rest, my prince. I’ll be back later.”  
-  
The next few days, Will drops in continuously. He watches Nico drink water, sip broth. Towards the end of the week, he brings Nico bread. Nico can now sit himself up. He can make it to the bathroom without getting dizzy. His fever has broken, and his chills have subsided. Nico’s parents and sisters drop in. They bring games or conversation. Hazel plays her flute for him.

The first day that Nico is deemed healed, his father calls him to the throne room. He feels nervous approaching his father. Usually, his father was rather informal with his children. He would deliver news over breakfast or on a daily walk. He hardly ever summoned Nico.

His father is sitting on the throne. Nico’s first thought is that his father looks tired. He wonders if his sickness has had anything to do with it. His father was always closed off with emotions, and Nico understands that.

“Your healer was in here earlier,” Hades says. He makes eye contact with Nico, stepping down from his throne. There’s a slight smile on his face. “He expressed great admiration and affection for you.” He pauses to assess Nico’s reaction. Nico’s not sure what reaction he has. His mind is tumbling through every conversation and gesture and smile he’s ever shared with Will. His heart is pounding against his chest.

“What did you say?” Nico asks.

“I asked what he would be willing to do for you. I wanted to know how much he thought you were worth.” Nico nods. He thinks he’s holding his breath. Falling for Will was something more complex than anything Nico had ever felt. Before now, his life had been governed by class. That encompassed his wealth, his status, his power. He could have anyone he wanted (granted his father’s blessing), and he wants a dancer. He wants the man who had used him back to health.

“He asked for my blessing to court you,” Hades says. Nico knows he’s not pausing for effect. Hades had a habit of thinking on his feet, of processing thoughts while he was speaking. “I granted him a given amount of time. At the end of that time, it is up to you.”

Nico nods. His father was granting him the power to choose his partner, but in his heart (and mind), he feels that he’s already chosen Will. He can’t imagine feeling more at home than with Will’s small touches, with his smiles. It was Will who had sat by his bedside, smiling so patiently as he spooned broth into Nico’s mouth.

“Thank you, Papa.” Hades nods.

“Not every man is as lucky as you, but I know you’ll take the opportunity.”  
-  
“It’s a frangipani,” Will breathes.

Nico blushes, taking the flower. He wonders if Will knows exactly what the flower meant. The flower was white, the petals curling just slightly. Nico smiles as he breathes in the scent. “We’re not married yet,” he says.

“It’s a promise,” Will says. He laughs. He’s not topless, and Nico almost misses it. They’re on the palace grounds, taking a walk. Nico spends most of the conversation detailing the types of flowers, the landscaping. Will listens, nodding and smiling. Even as Nico points out the flowers, Will doesn’t take his eyes off of Nico.

“May I kiss you?” Will nods, and then Nico is standing on his toes to kiss Will’s cheek. He starts slow, aware that they are in public. Will kisses him back. “You’re beautiful.”

Will blushes at this. “You’re radiant.”  
Nico blushes deeper. “I think I fell for you the moment I saw you dance. You’re mesmerizing.” Will’s face is now crimson.

“It wasn’t because I was topless?” Nico tries to hide his blush, but he can’t. Will laughs. “I’m okay if that part helped. I must say, I take compliments very well.”

Nico raises his eyebrows. He pulls Will into the palace, hurrying them towards his room. Behind the closed doors of his room, he slips his hands into Will’s hair, pressing his lips to Will’s. He still hasn’t found the words to describe what Will does to him, but he’s trying to show Will.

They know their boundaries, and they don’t push them. Not yet. They still have time, and Will’s made his promise. So Nico takes his time. After all, love shouldn’t be rushed.


	7. happily ever after

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico gets Will a book. Will never saw the ending coming.

“I got you a present,” Nico says. He blushes, handing a wrapped package to Will. Will looks surprised, his eyes wide, his mouth hanging open just slightly. “I know we said no presents, but I couldn’t help myself.”

Will’s eyes crinkle as he smiles. “I didn’t get you anything,” Will says. He accepts the package, turning it over in his hands. Nico knows he’s trying to figure out what it is without opening it.

“You can pay for dinner, then,” Nico says, laughing. Will rolls his eyes. It had been decided a few years ago that they wouldn’t get each other gifts for their anniversary. It put too much pressure on them to find something either sentimental, fun, or both. So they decided to just make plans together instead.

This year, they had decided on a nice dinner and then a movie night with buttery popcorn and a pile of blankets. Except, Nico had also splurged (about twenty dollars) on a hardback book that he knew Will had been eyeing for some time now. Will quickly peels off the paper, eyes shining.

“Nico,” he breathes. He’s smiling, his eyes all alight with the candlelight. Nico loves Will doused in candlelight. It always made his hair look golden, his eyes like gems, his skin tanned and bronzed. His freckles look like splashes of light. “You’ve been through my search history again.”

Nico laughs. “It wasn’t too much a shot in the dark. You talk about it almost every day, and don’t think I haven’t noticed you stopping by the bookstore after work.” Will holds his hands up, laughing.

“You caught me.” Nico smiles. He had done a little searching through Will’s search history. He wanted to make sure he got the right book. (Sometimes book titles were too similar, and with his dyslexia, it could be a simple mistake to get the wrong title. Of course, that meant he’d had to search through many articles about medical practices, dog adoption sites, and surgical videos.)

“You’re amazing,” Will says, drawing Nico’s hand towards him. He kisses Nico’s knuckles, smiling. “You make me so happy.” Nico blushes. Even after dating for five years, Will could still make him turn into a blushing mess. “I love you, Nico.”

Nico picks up his glass, smiling. “To another wonderful year.” They clink glasses, throwing back the last drops of wine. When the waiter comes around again, they decided to box up dessert, eager to get home and watch movies. Once home, there’s a mad dash to the bedroom to change into pajamas. Will claims the bathroom, so Nico has to make the popcorn.

Nico rolls his eyes. Only Will has to primp and polish before having a movie marathon. Nico gives him a hard time about it, but he secretly loves that Will puts on that pomegranate lotion and trims his nose hairs. (He supposes that’s what happens after five years of dating. You start caring more about the small things.)

Will brings the pile of blankets and pillows with him. Nico’s got the giant bowl of popcorn, luxuriously buttered. He also gets water, knowing how the butter and salt always ended up making them thirsty. He pops in their first movie, settling down beside Will. They have to move the pillows around a little bit to get comfortable, but they manage it. After all, this is their millionth movie marathon. They know how these things are done.

Later, Nico awakens to find Will tucking him into their bed. He fumbles to grab Will’s hand, trying to tell him goodnight. Will presses a soft kiss to Nico’s forehead, sliding under the sheets.

“Goodnight, sweetheart. Thank you for another wonderful year.” Nico snuggles closer to Will, burying his head in Will’s chest. He loves listening to Will’s heartbeat as he falls asleep. It’s comforting and soothing and so cheesy, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.  
-  
Nico wanders into the kitchen the next morning. He’d heard Will in the shower earlier, and he was hoping that there’d be breakfast ready. Neither of them had work until later in the day, and he was hoping for a slow morning of cuddling.

He finds Will snuggled on the couch, some of the blankets still there from last night. Nico can just make out the blond hair and the book. Glancing over Will’s shoulder, he figures Will must have gotten up earlier than he’d thought. He’s nearly forty pages in already.

“Morning, Will,” Nico says. He drops a kiss on Will’s head, not wanting to disturb him. “Have you eaten?”

Will makes a noise that Nico takes as a no. He rolls his eyes, moving into the kitchen to see what he can pull together for breakfast.

Will loves reading. Nico had figured that out before he’d even started dating Will. It seemed appropriate that they’d met in a bookstore. When they’d moved in together, they’d spent an entire weekend trying to figure out how to construct a bookshelf. Now, the bookshelf proudly held all of the books in the house, taking up an entire wall in the guest bedroom. There was about a shelf and a half that wasn’t filled yet, but Will was slowly working his way there.

Nico whips up some pancakes, smiling when he finds the mini chocolate chips. Will loves those the best. He throws in a generous handful, layering them on the plate. When they’re done, he wiggles his way into the blankets beside Will.

“I made breakfast,” he announces. Will holds up one finger. Nico waits a few minutes before Will inserts a bookmark, smiling.

“I think you’re pretty cool, too,” Will says, holding up a sticky note. Nico smiles. He’d secretly inserted a sticky note at the end of each chapter. “I love you. The book’s amazing so far.” He leans forward, and Nico thinks he’s going to kiss him. Instead, Will grabs a pancake.

“Did you only find the first one?” Nico asks.

Will shakes his head, grunting around the pancake. “I’ve found three so far.” He gestures to the coffee table with his head. Nico smiles. He hadn’t expected Will to go through the book so fast. He estimates that there are only about ten more chapters, ten more sticky note messages until the last one. He’ll have to keep an eye on Will.

The plan had been a completely impulsive thing. He didn’t know he was doing it until it’d been completed, the sticky notes inserted, the book wrapped and handed to Will. Now, he couldn’t really take it back. (He guesses he could just remove the last two sticky notes.)

Nico takes a bite of pancake, trying to hide his smile. He was never good at keeping secrets from Will, especially good ones. But he had to do this. He could keep this secret. He couldn’t jump the gun on this one. Luckily for him, it seemed like Will would have the book finished by the end of the week.

“You go to work around three, right?” Will asks. Nico nods. He was working at the bookstore downtown until he finished up his online classes. After a lot of debating and research and second-guessing, he had decided to major in English. He was still narrowing down his list of careers, but he couldn’t wait to graduate. Only a few more months.

“I have to head in a little earlier,” Will says. “Michael needs me to cover the end of his shift.” Nico takes the last pancake, savoring the chocolatey fluffiness. Pancakes were his favorite slow morning breakfast.

“How’s life with the new baby?” Nico asks. Michael was one of Will’s fellow interns at the community hospital. Will still had a few years of schooling left to go, but he was doing really well.

“I don’t know how he’s going to get through the rest of the program,” Will says. “I mean, we’ve still got to get our degrees and then our residencies completed.’ He shakes his head, shrugging. “I’m not sure how he’s going to do it. At least his wife is super supportive. She’s amazing. I hope you get to meet her sometime.”

Nico smiles. He and Will had many talks about Will being a doctor, what it would take. It was a long road, but Nico had faith in Will. And he was going to stand by Will, no matter how tired or stressed they both got.

“Maybe we can have lunch with them some time,” Nico says. “I’m sure they could both use a nice break.”

Will nods. “Maybe later this month.”

They spend the rest of the morning playing video games and cleaning up a little. With their busy schedules, they’d slacked a little on household chores, and it was catching up to them. Nico laughs as Will chases him around with the vacuum cleaner. Soap bubbles fly when Will accidentally drops a cutting board into the sink.

Then they’re cleaning themselves up, getting dressed, and heading to work.  
-  
Nico smiles when he sees two more sticky notes on the fridge. Will was taping them up there, leaving little notes for Nico at the bottom of them. Will seemed incapable of taking compliments without offering some of his own. Nico loves him for it.

“So, how’s the plan going?” Hazel asks. She’s smiling at Nico over her mug of tea. It was their routine that they met to catch up every Monday.

“I think it’s going well. It’s hard to tell if he’s catching on or not.” Hazel laughs, rolling her eyes.

“You two were always super oblivious.” She shrugs. “Remember how long it took before you two started dating?” Nico swats at her, laughing. It’d taken a lot of nudging and a misunderstanding to get them together. Never in his right mind did Nico think Will Solace would have ever wanted to ask him out. (But it turned out he did, he very much did.)

“Well, it adds to the suspense, I suppose.” Hazel sighs. “And it’s not like I want him to figure it out. If he does, he’ll probably start planning his own thing.” Nico huffs. This was his idea, and he wasn’t going to let Will spoil his fun.

“So, have you gotten everything you need?”

“Almost. The only tricky part is I’m not sure when he’s going to finish the book.” Nico has puzzled long and hard about this. If there was some way to calculate when Will would finish the book, it’d make his life so much easier. Of course, it was just as tricky to tell if Will was going to crash immediately after a shift or if he’d go for a walk or read. So Nico just had to be ready at any given moment.

“You and your complicated plans,” Hazel says. She offers Nico the last bites of her sandwich. He takes them, enjoying the buttery crispness of the bread. He loves his cafe. He and Will came here whenever they could spare an hour for lunch together. It was affordably priced and had a great menu selection, though everything was delicious.

“Yes, but they work, don’t they?”

Hazel shrugs. “Maybe not like how you planned,” she says. Nico has to give her that one. He had an elaborate plan in high school to ask Will out. It’d kind of backfired, but it’d gotten the job done. He had five years of kissing Will to prove it. “Have you talked to his mother?”

Nico curses. He’d completely forgotten to call Will’s mom. He was going to on Saturday, but then he was distracted when he saw that book on the top of the new orders.

“No, I need to call her today.” Hazel laughs, patting his shoulder.

“I’m sure she’ll be thrilled.” Nico nods. He loves Naomi, loves Will’s whole family. They were all so amazing and blond. His own family was small, and he loves it that way. But Will’s family was an adventure.

As soon as Hazel leaves to go and meet Frank, Nico’s dialing Naomi’s number. (He’s long gotten over the fact that he’s got it memorized. He never knows when he might need it.)

“Hello? Nico, dear? Is everything okay?” Nico smiles.

“Everything’s fine. I just wanted to ask you a question.” He can hear Naomi sitting down. He figures he either caught her gardening or doing dishes. Nico tells Naomi his plan in a rushed voice, breathing only once he reaches the end. He’s so nervous now that he’s put it into words. Now that he’s actually asking Will’s mother.

The line is quiet for a moment. Then Naomi’s laughing. “I’m so sorry, dear. You don’t need my blessing. But if it makes you feel better, welcome to the family, Nico.” Nico feels relieve surge through him. He knew she was going to say yes, but it still felt so relieving to hear it. “I want pictures, and I expect you two to come and visit me soon. I’m going to cook up a feast.”

“Of course, Naomi.” Nico’s beaming. “You’ll be one of the first to know.”

“I love you, dear. See you soon.”  
-  
Wednesday morning shines on ten sticky notes on the fridge. Nico feels his heart kick up a gear higher. He startles when he feels arms wrap around his waist. Will presses a kiss to Nico’s cheek.

“I can’t decide which is better now,” Will says. “The book or the notes.” Nico laughs.

“I’m not sure which one I want you to like better either,” Nico jokes. “But I did put a lot of hard work into writing those notes.”

“As I’m sure every writer does,” Will says. He kisses Nico again. Nico feels a flutter at Will indirectly calling him a writer. While he wasn’t sure which career he wanted, he knew he wanted to be a writer. He didn’t have any major projects in the works right now, but he had published a few articles in the local newspaper. Will cuts each of them out, pasting them onto their wall of inspiration (a mostly un-artistically created collage of things that inspired them to keep going).

“I think I’m going to finish the book soon,” Will says. “Probably by this weekend. Then maybe I can find the sequel.”

“There’s a sequel?” Nico asks. He’d really only done enough research to make sure he had the right title. He hadn’t really looked into the possibility of more books.

“Of course. Every great story doesn’t end when the pages run out.” Nico rolls his eyes.

“Doesn’t mean they have to make more pages,” Nico mumbles. Will laughs.

“I mean, not to drop hints for my birthday or anything, but I definitely think I’m going to read the sequel.” Nico laughs. Will was just as bad at keeping secrets from Nico.

“I guess we’ll see,” Nico says, winking. They both knew he was going to get Will that book if Will didn’t get it for himself first.

“Wanna go for a walk? I don’t have work until four.” Nico nods.

It was early spring, and the cherry trees were budding. Nico loves it when the wind blows, the pink petals falling through the air like confetti. He loves seeing them land in Will’s hair, on his shoulders. In every light, Will looks like a god.

“I want to make you a flower crown,” Nico says. Will looks confused for a moment. Nico grabs Will’s hand, pulling him over to a small meadow of flowers. They were mostly wildflowers, but they were pretty. Nico begins to look for the perfect flowers while Will lays down in the grass. He makes a grass angel while Nico laughs. Nico pulls out his phone, snapping a photo. Will looks like a summer god, just sprawled out in the grass, the pink petals scattered over his body.

“Are you going to make yourself one?” Will calls. “I want us to match.”

“Maybe,” Nico calls back. He sits beside Will to weave the stems together. He hasn’t made a flower crown in a while, but he remembers enough from what Hazel had taught him. He makes Will close his eyes, so he doesn’t spoil the surprise.

“I wanna see,” Will whines. “I want to make sure you’re not weaving in poison ivy or something.”

Nico laughs, swatting at Will’s leg. “I would be giving myself poison ivy, dork.”

Will just shrugs. “Maybe you’re immune. Maybe you have secret powers that make you unable to be poisoned.” Nico rolls his eyes. Will read way too much fantasy.

“Okay, I’m done.” He holds up Will’s flower crown, smiling proudly. “Let me put it on you,” he adds when Will reaches out. Will ducks his head, and Nico places the flowers on Will’s hair, careful not to crush his curls.

“How do I look?” Will asks. He flashes a smile.

“Adorable,” Nico says. They both blush.

“Let me put yours on you,” Will says. He positions Nico’s flower crown, smiling. “You look like a prince.”

“Not a king?” Nico asks, raising his eyebrows.

“I’m the king, obviously. You can't have two kings,” Will says, rolling his eyes. Nico feigns offense. He tackles Will, shifting his hips to keep Will down.

“Is that so?” Nico asks. Will nods, humming. Nico leans down, kissing Will’s lips. They were slightly chapped, but Nico didn’t mind. “Well, I think you’re a gorgeous king.”

Will raises his eyebrows, smirking. “May I have this dance?” Nico’s confused for a moment before Will rolls them over, getting up. He extends his hand. “May I?”

Nico bows, taking Will’s hand. It all feels so cheesy and childish, but Nico loves it. He loves how clumsy Will is at dancing, how his flower crown is now lopsided on his head. Will hops around, his hands holding Nico’s. It’s more like ring-around-the-rosy than ballroom dancing, but neither of them cares.

Nico thinks it’s absurd that childhood is supposed to end at thirteen. Whoever made that stupid rule? He understands that people do need to mature, need to grow up, but who said that all had to come with stress and boring things? He and Will were plenty capable of living on their own, and they still had so much fun.

Will’s laughing so hard that he has to stop dancing to catch his breaths. “Gods, Nico, I love you so much. Let’s grow old together.”

Nico freezes. Did Will just-? Will freezes, too. “Do you mean- Are you-?” Nico tries.

“Wait. I mean, I want to grow old with you. But, like, it doesn’t have to happen now,” Will says. He scratches the back of his head.

“Well, obviously. I don’t want to be old right this second.” Nico smiles, hands on his hips. Will’s cheeks are pink, matching the petals caught in his hair. “So, that wasn’t a proposal?”

“Not if you don’t want it to be?” Will says slowly.

“How about a promise?” Nico asks. Because Will is not going to ruin this for him. “Like, a promise ring? But a flower crown instead. You promise to say yes when the time comes. And I promise to say as well.”

Will smiles. “You’re amazing.” Then he’s laughing again. Nico sighs, smiling. “I do,” Will says solemnly. Nico rolls his eyes.

They skip back home.  
-  
Friday is the day. Will had been busy with work all day yesterday, so he’d immediately crashed upon coming home. But Friday it was happening. Nico knew Will was on the last chapter of his book. He could sense it, the suspense, the tension, the excitement. Will always got this nervous energy about him when he was about to finish a book. (He’d made it a rule to never read the last chapter/page before it was supposed to happen.)

Nico busies himself in the kitchen. He was making cinnamon rolls because they took some time to make and because they were delicious. He could already taste the sticky cinnamon and sugar filling, the honey glaze. He could already imagine the way the dough would be crispy on the outside, soft and perfect on the inside.

He’s so caught up in glazing his cinnamon rolls that he almost forgets about Will reading. That is until he hears a choked noise come from the couch. Will’s looking at him, tears in his eyes. He’s got his hand over his mouth, and his eyes keep flitting from the note in his hands to Nico.

“I’m sticky,” Nico says, trying to break the tension. He doesn’t have a speech because the sticky notes made up the speech. “Did you finish the book?”

Will gets up, moving to place the last sticky note in its place on the fridge. He’s definitely crying now.

“Wait,” Nico tells him. He dashes into their bedroom, trying to find the ring that he’d hidden all those weeks ago. (That had been another impulsive thing. He’d been shopping for Hazel’s birthday when he’d seen the ring. And then he couldn’t leave the store without buying it.)

“Nico,” Will tries when he gets back to the kitchen.

Nico gets down on one knee, opening the box. Will gasps softly, more tears pouring down his face. “I thought we agreed to no gifts for anniversaries,” Will mumbles.

Nico laughs, feeling the tears in his own eyes. “Will you marry me?” Nico asks.

“Well, I did make a promise,” Will starts. He bends down to where Nico is, pulling him close. “Yes, of course!” Nico smashes their lips together, almost dropping the ring in the process. It’s salty and sticky and messy, but Nico doesn’t care. Will’s laughing and crying, and Nico’s just trying to get the ring onto Will’s finger.

“Can I eat one of those cinnamon rolls?” Will asks. He blushes. “I kind of skipped breakfast to finish reading.”

Nico rolls his eyes, pecking Will’s cheek. “Our first cinnamon rolls are fiancés,” he says.

“Now who’s cheesy?” Will asks. He’s got honey and cinnamon coating his lips. Nico kisses him again.

“So, how was the book?”

Will’s eyes widen. “Oh my gosh! I didn’t even read the last page. I don’t know how it ends.” Nico laughs as Will scrambles to grab the book, waiting patiently as Will reads the last few paragraphs.

“So?” Nico prompts when Will closes the book.

“It’s a happy ending,” he says, “but I already knew that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still accepting prompts :)
> 
> I'm so happy with all of the positive comments I've received. They make me smile so much :)

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts are still being accepted
> 
> Comments are appreciated :)


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